Bleach: Evolution Of Evil
by Elemental Hero Raeven
Summary: Sequel to ratiasu724's fic 'One Thousand Pieces'. With Soul Society slowly getting back into its routine after the 'Usaitar incident', evil comes specially prepared to cause chaos yet again. Evil has evolved - it is stronger and more determined than ever.
1. Prologue

**Bleach: Evolution Of Evil**

_Hello, and welcome to my first published story. This is a direct sequel of ratiasu724's fanfic 'One Thousand Pieces', and as such, will contain some, well a few, of the OCs from that, mixed up with a few OCs of my own. I'm sticking to using japanese for both kido and releases (unless they're arrancar ressurections, which will be in spanish, of course), and also if you find a mistake in the japanese and spanish names, please do remember that I've never actually learned the languages. Some OC releases may be upgraded, just for your advanced knowledge._

_Also, the disclaimer, saying that Bleach in no way belongs to me, it belongs to Tite Kubo. Disclaimers rule._

_Anyway, read on and I hope you enjoy._

* * *

**Prologue**

In Hueco Mundo, three figures, that of a male and two females, were shrouded in darkness and were conversing, their voices echoing throughout the blankness of the barren desert.

"So, you both know what to do?" asked the male, a calm tone in his voice, apparently taking control in this conversation.

"Yes, we do. You don't need to repeat it so many times, darling," said one of the females, her voice taking a hint of a flirtatious tone to it. She then sighed. "You're so strict about these things sometimes, you know?" She shrugged.

The smaller female then spoke up, having a slightly higher pitched tone than the other. "But when we do this, he won't be annoying any more, right?" she asked.

The first female laughed a bit. "Yes, he should, sweetie, but that would be far from the end of it." She then turned to the male. "What is the point to this big plan anyway?" she asked, curious.

The male laughed softly. "I like to think that surprises are best kept as surprises, don't you?" he asked, rhetorically. He then glared at her, putting true venom into his voice. "And it would be bad if you didn't make it alive to see my surprise." He then sighed and spoke calmly again. "But, alas, this surprise has to have a lot of planning. So I'll put you two in charge of the work I've set you, whilst I go to find our final ally, understood?"

Both the females nodded slowly, and the male vanished where he stood. After a few minutes of silence, the two females turned and walked away.

* * *

It was a cold day, with a slight breeze in the air. As she was walking towards the Soul Reaper Academy, Terri closed her eyes, shivered and held herself as a gust of wind blew the chill at her. Her long, silver hair flowed wildly in the breeze. She gasped for air as the chill made her bangle on her right wrist turn cold. She opened her eyes after it had passed, and the light from the sun made the blue of one and the green of the other sparkle together delightfully.

As she got to the entrance, she heard the familiar sound of her best friend, Hiroshi Takahashi. He befriended her on her first day in the academy, which she was at first surprised about, considering she had silver hair and two different coloured eyes, which weren't the norm of appearance. Hiroshi was smiling at her idiotically, his long brown hair tied back into a ponytail and his sword strapped to his back. He started to have his sword there after he met Terri, who also had her sword on her back, although she also had her parents' swords at her right and left sides.

"How are you today, Terri?" he smiled. "Are you ready for another day of honing our skills?"

Terri smiled in reply. "Yeah sure!" she answered. "I always look forward to it, I mean it's been my life for the last 20 years." This was true, 20 years ago, as soon as her parents, Ratiasu and Ketu, left for the real world, Hikari had advised her to enrol at the Academy, and Terri had stuck at it ever since.

Hiroshi broke her reflection on her past. "Well, let's get going then, huh? We don't want to be late, right?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, let's go then," she answered. They both ran for their next lesson, hoping not to be late.

* * *

Zeo's only reply to Raven's last sentence was a sweat-drop. They were in the Squad 3 HQ, and Raven was sat at the head of the room, with Izuru at his side.

"What? Make my own sword?" Zeo asked, wanting it to be repeated to make sure he had heard it properly.

"Yes, that's what I said," Raven replied, calmly. "You said that Tenencia reminded you too much of your days under Usaitar, so I've decided that you can use the remainder of the 'tenshi steel' to form a new blade for your own use."

"Um, thanks?" Zeo said, slightly confused. Just as he said that, a hell butterfly came flying through the open window and landed next to Raven. He picked it up on his finger and listened to its message.

"Well, looks like you'll have more time to complete it than I imagined," Raven spoke, finally breaking the silence. "There is a meeting going on at Squad 1 HQ, and they want all captains and lieutenants to be present. So, let's go Izuru."

Izuru stood up with Raven. "Yes, Captain Ruhodesu," he replied. They both walked out of the door and flash-stepped away. Zeo was left in the room alone, pondering over Raven's request.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself. "Well, it looks like I've got some time to kill, so I might as well attempt it." He got up, picking up the steel, and walked into the next room containing the kiln.

* * *

Raven and Izuru appeared at Squad 1 HQ, and the sight of the meeting room told them that they weren't that late. As they entered, the others looked their way. Renji slowly walked over to Izuru to greet him. Raven nodded to Izuru, then spread out himself, walking towards his twin sister, and Squad 5's lieutenant, Naomi Ruhodesu.

"So, how is filling in for a captain going for you, sis?" he asked, a slight smile on his face.

"Not as nice as I'd hoped. I mean sure, I'm getting more respect around here, but it's just too much work," she moaned. "How do you do it, bro?"

"You'll get used to it," Raven replied. "That's if they don't pick a new captain at this meeting."

"We're here! Not too late are we?" came a shout from outside, as Crystal Kyoraku and Shuhei Hisagi, the captain and lieutenant of Squad 9 respectively, flash-stepped to the doorway.

"Fashionably late as always, I see," Raven joked, though with little emotion leaving his face. Naomi attempted to hush him.

"Not funny, Rae," Crystal replied. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd have hit you over the head a thousand times by now."

After a while, everyone had gathered. The new Squad 1 captain, Kiyomi Seiryoku, was seated at the head of the room, with Chojiro at her left side, the numeric row of captains at her right facing the opposite wall, and a numeric row of lieutenants at Chojiro's left, facing the opposite wall.

Captain Seiryoku spoke up. "Ahem, as you all know, with Ms. Hikari Uera's and Mrs. Ratiasu and Mr. Ketu Zakura's departures, we are without captains for squads 5 and 7, and we had no lieutenant for squad 13. But, unfortunately, no captain level soul reapers can be found to replace them, but let's all officially welcome Captain Ukitake back as captain of Squad 13, shall we?" she said, in an official business-like tone.

Jushiro waved to everyone else as if to solidify the statement, then turned to face his lieutenant, Rukia Kuchiki.

Captain Seiryoku continued. "But that means that Ms. Rukia Kuchiki will be made lieutenant of Squad 13 by default." She then turned and smiled at Rukia. "But I thank you for a job well done as a substitute captain for so long."

There was a space on Crystal's left, to which she looked puzzled. She looked around even more, attempting to find some reason behind it.

"Um, may I speak, Captain Seiryoku?" she asked. The head captain nodded. Crystal continued. "May I ask where my cousin Shunsui is?"

As this sentence was said a few of them looked confused, but Jushiro was smiling. Raven was deep in thought about it, Byakuya didn't look at all troubled and Kenpachi looked like he didn't even want to be there.

"Shunsui Kyoraku has gone up in the world, my dear," Captain Seiryoku replied. "He has been promoted to 'Squad 0'. You do know about Squad 0, don't you?"

Crystal paused for a moment, and then smiled back. "Yes, I do. That will be all for my inquiry then. Please continue."

"Thank you," Captain Seiryoku replied. "Now, it would be extremely helpful if you all took a few training sessions with your squads, therefore we could get new captains up pretty quickly, although there is no rush, of course. Okay then, meeting dismissed."

* * *

As he made his way down the alley, his claw flexed out. He stalked his prey silently, not making any sudden movements or noise, so that he could ambush her with perfect efficiency.

The arrancar Matthew Richardson licked his lips with his tongue. Then his tongue lengthened out and licked his eyes clean. His claw stretched out again, as if awaiting its next meal.

"Now, my dear, your time has come," he whispered, flexing his claw again. At first nothing happened, but then a giant snake appeared from his shoulder and engulfed his whole clawed arm. It hissed, and its tongue also flicked out, sensing its prey.

As the woman stopped to rest and lean on a wall, Matthew took his chance. He camouflaged his skin as the background colour and sneaked behind her, wrapping his snake-arm around her neck. She squirmed, but he didn't care, he was already constricting her throat. Suddenly, a ghostly substance flew out of the woman's neck and was absorbed by the snake's mouth.

As she collapsed, dead, Matthew's snake retreated back into his shoulder. He fell down to the floor, his head spinning.

"Ah these souls are my personal high!" he laughed, "Though, to be feeding off of the scum of the universe is sickening, to say the least."

"Well then, why not join my cause?" said a voice from the shadows.

"Who's there?" Matthew demanded an answer. "Show yourself to me now! That is, if you're not a hallucination from these souls."

"Oh no, I'm much too real," came the voice. Its owner finally stepped out. He was dressed in soul reaper wear, so Matthew was cautious. "Don't be alarmed, arrancar." he said, calmly. "I bring you no harm, though I do want you to give harm, if you know what I mean."

"Harm to whom?" Matthew answered, still cautious.

"Soul Society my friend, Soul Society," he laughed, turning very sadistic very quickly. Matthew however, was still cautious, and stared at him until he was finished.

"So, how do I know that I can trust you? I've had a bad record with Soul Reapers," Matthew answered. He still stood staring at the unknown soul reaper.

The soul reaper answered back with a stare of his own. "Because I too hate Soul Society, and if you help me, I will be able to give you revenge for what they have done to you," he said, slowly.

A crude smile crept onto Matthew's face, and he nodded. "Let's go then," he laughed. "No time like the present, huh?"

The soul reaper raised his hand, and then both of them disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

* * *

_And that's it. I'll be posting, as far as I can see, on Saturdays. Please review, as I'd like to see what you all think about it, even though it's a prologue. Thanks go to ratiasu724 for allowing me to write this - as I know that our styles are extremely different._

_**Next chapter:** Danger strikes quickly in Soul Society, and Terri and Hiroshi are caught in the middle of it. Saying the name of the next chapter would give too much away, so I'll see you then._


	2. Cemetery Of A Thousand

**Chapter 1 – Cemetery Of A Thousand**

The wastelands of Hueco Mundo were eerily silent, not even a breeze swept the landscape. Four figures were stood in a circle: the three from before and the new recruit, Matthew Richardson. On either side of Matthew were the two females and the soul reaper who had approached him stood opposite him.

"So, what is this plan you have?" Matthew asked, still slightly cautious, looking between the three figures stood before him.

"Well, this plan is a stroke of genius, even if I do say so myself," the soul reaper said. "And its main points have nothing to do with you, so just stick to the part I have allocated for your aid in."

"Fine, whatever," Matthew answered. "But this had better have a reason for doing this." He then stopped short. "Actually, scrap that," he added. He smiled evilly. "This'll be a riot."

* * *

All the captains and lieutenants left the Squad 1 HQ, discussing what had happened. Jushiro was talking to Crystal, Raven and Naomi.

"Congrats on being promoted to the captaincy, Jushiro," Crystal beamed. "We've really missed you being around, y'know?"

Jushiro smiled back. "Yes, well after the whole Usaitar scare, I decided that my illness would have to wait, and that Soul Society is more important. It also helps that I'm getting a little bit better, I guess."

Naomi and Crystal smiled too. Raven just closed his eyes, bowed slightly and walked off, mumbling a slightly audible 'welcome back'. Jushiro looked off as he left. He then turned to the girls.

"So I see that Raven is still Mr. Personality then," he joked. "Where is he going in such a hurry anyway?"

Crystal looked a bit down-heartened. "Well, ever since his fight against Plata Acerogarra he has been training really hard. He was annoyed that he had to use his last resort, so he wants to get stronger. I'd expect that he's going off to train some more with Izuru."

"Hmm," Jushiro mused. "Well, if Raven gets any stronger than I remember when he was in my squad, I think he may become one of the strongest captains around soon."

Naomi interrupted his train of thought. "Well, we really need to celebrate your return, Captain Ukitake. We should have a get together later or something!"

Jushiro perked up. "That sounds delightful for later, but first I have to sort out some issues with my division. Rukia may have been a good fill-in, but she's left a couple of loose ends." He then turned to leave, waving behind to them.

Naomi turned to Crystal. "Well, Crys, I'll have to get over to Squad 5. I have things to do there too," she said, groaning at the word 'things'.

Crystal looked at her knowingly. "Paperwork, huh?" she asked. Naomi nodded. "I know it's a drag, but it's important. You shouldn't slack on the job, y'know."

"Yeah, I know," Naomi answered. "Well, see you later." She then turned on her heel and flash-stepped away.

Crystal sighed, then turned to leave for her own Squad, taking Captain Seiryoku's advice into consideration. 'Yeah,' she thought. 'Let's have a training session.' She then flash-stepped out of sight.

* * *

"So captain, are we going to set up any training sessions with our Squad?" Renji asked, inquisitively to Byakuya. They were in Squad 6 HQ, sitting and discussing the current situation.

Byakuya looked up at Renji and answered. "If anyone from Squad 6 should go for a captaincy, Renji, it should be you. After all, you are the lieutenant, and the strongest member who isn't already a captain," he said slowly.

"While that is true," Renji answered. "I don't feel ready yet to take on such a responsibility, Captain Kuchiki." He lowered his head. "After what happened with Usaitar and all, it's really got me to start doubting my abilities at present." He looked up. "So I wouldn't feel up to being someone to look up to and to rely on just yet."

Byakuya looked at him, then nodded appreciatively. "As you wish Renji," he said. He then sighed. "Yet I do not think anyone else in Squad 6 is up for this position either. So it looks like it will have to go to someone from another Squad, most likely someone with bankai."

Renji mused over it. 'Bankai, huh?' he thought. 'That means Ikkaku and Naomi are the only two with a real chance of being promoted. But Ikkaku would never leave Squad 11, and from what she was discussing with Captain Ruhodesu, Naomi apparently doesn't like even filling in for a captain, let alone handling the full job. So who is out there who can become captain?'

* * *

Raven and Izuru clashed their swords, neither giving up. They both jumped back to a similar distance away, and raised their swords to each other. They both gasped for air, and were both sweating.

Raven smirked slightly. "Heh, Izuru, don't tell me that you're tired already?" he taunted. He waited for Izuru's reaction, but he didn't appear to give one.

"No, captain, not yet," Izuru replied. "But soon, maybe. But that's to be expected when we train continually without using even kido. What's this to gain anyway, may I ask?"

"Well, Izuru, since you asked, this is twofold. One; it allows me to rate your physical strength and stamina, to see if you are worthy of captaincy. Two; it allows you to see how different Squads train. For example, what we are doing now is how Squad 11 trains. This is how you ready yourself for battle, by training all of your abilities up, not just kido or your releases. Physical strength plays an important part too."

"I see," came the answer. "Well, I'm honoured that you see me as having a chance at captaincy, at least. Let us continue then, captain?"

Raven broke his stance. "No, let us take a rest," he said, breathing heavily. "Oh, and before I forget, can you go and check up on Zeo for me?"

"Yes, captain," Izuru responded. He then walked slowly into Squad 3's HQ, and looked around for Zeo, being unable to find him. He suddenly reached for his right arm, where he could see that his sleeve was cut, by a blade.

"Huh? When did Captain Ruhodesu cut me? It seems like I have to train my eyes a bit more too," he mumbled. After 2 more minutes of searching, he walked back out to the training area, and up to Raven.

"Captain, Zeo isn't around," he said. He then added "And may I ask when you cut my arm?"

"Heh, so I guess you realised. Well, that was to train your eyes essentially, but it also teaches you about fighting. When you get injuries you don't notice, they don't hurt as much when you're high on adrenaline, which is why you should only focus on your opponent." He then looked deep in thought. "Though it is weird that Zeo isn't around," he continued. "I guess he's just resting from working on his sword, but I'll take a look into this later. Shall we continue?" He gestured to the arena.

Izuru walked to one side and took a stance with his sword. Raven did the same on the opposite side. "Now we shall train your kido abilities, and I shall also teach you a new trick that I have come up with," Raven shouted over to Izuru, with Izuru's response a puzzled look.

* * *

It was a break in studying at Soul Reaper Academy, and Terri and Hiroshi were sitting on a bench overlooking the relaxation area. They were sitting in silence taking in the beauty, when they heard a sharp scream coming from inside the building. They rose quickly, looked at each other, then ran in to investigate.

They entered cautiously, turning right into the corridor, where they were met with an eerie silence. They ran down the corridor a bit more until they heard a few more screams followed by the sound of clashing metal. They looked at each other again, with horror in their eyes. They ran down the corridor, then turned left, and were met with a wall covered in blood. They were even more worried now.

They ran down this corridor and turned another corner only to look upon another horrific sight. Corpses upon corpses of their classmates were scattered on the floor, amongst most of their organs. Terri buried her head into Hiroshi's chest, with him holding her close. They were both sickened by this. Hiroshi motioned Terri to walk onwards, but she didn't seem to want to move. In fact, she was too scared to move.

They then heard a heavy sound, like that of a body hitting the floor. Hiroshi ran ahead with Terri nervously following. They then came into the main hall, where bodies of peers and teachers were scattered everywhere. They moved over to the closest and less brutalised body to check for a pulse, which there wasn't. They then looked over to the far wall as a scuffling of shoe on floor was heard.

"W-who's there?" Hiroshi stammered, Terri holding onto his arm. He was sweating whilst waiting for a response.

Finally a sigh was heard, then a clapping. A figure blurred into view. He wore a normal arrancar uniform, had blonde hair, blue eyes and bone-rimmed glasses. He also had the remains of his hollow mask on his right shoulder, the jaws on top and under it, holding fanged teeth. He had a smirk on his face, and was clapping in a sarcastic manner. It was Matthew Richardson, with a new look.

"Well done, I have to say," he hissed. "Not many people can sense my presence when I am camouflaged, but apparently you did. I'm sure my moving gave me away, but you could actually sense me. Explain yourself."

Hiroshi and Terri looked frightened for their lives. Hiroshi gulped, then coughed a bit, to clear his throat and gain some confidence.

"What's an arrancar doing here in Soul Society? And did you do this to our friends?" he asked, with obvious fear in his voice.

"Hmm, well, how about I came here on my own accord? And how about hell yes I did! You should've seen the looks on their dying faces, it was hilarious! And their screams, they are what I crave most!"

"You're sick, you know that?" Hiroshi muttered. Matthew just stared at him, then moved his eyes over to Terri, his pupils suddenly turning into slits. Terri gasped for breath. She felt a cold wave overcome her body, and she couldn't move. For some reason, his gaze was so evil and bloodthirsty.

"I may be, but I'm fine with that," Matthew answered, eventually. "But you know, I'm not happy with just killing you all. My orders were just for that and nothing more, but I think I'll have a little play with you two and the Gotei 13 before I leave," he sneered. He lifted his right arm, and the snake engulfed it from his hollow mask. It hissed as it lengthened out, then it swept against the floor, spraying blood everywhere and onto Hiroshi and Terri. Matthew then laughed manically, and disappeared. As he went to leave, he rang the alarm to warn Soul Society and ran off.

Terri and Hiroshi were left shocked and drenched in blood, barely able to move from the fear their attacker had instilled into them.

* * *

"Oh man, this is stressful," Kiyomi groaned, to no-one in particular. "Who knew that this job was so annoyingly tiresome?"

"Um, captain, you agreed to becoming the head captain, so technically only you can be blamed," Chojiro spoke up.

"As always, Chojiro, you have an excellent point that I cannot argue with," Kiyomi answered. "But all that I've done up to now for Soul Society is paperwork upon paperwork of all the things that has happened since Hisaigo's betrayal of us all that time ago. I wish I could do something more useful," she trailed off.

Chojiro sounded sympathetic. "But captain, after doing all of this and finding new captains, you'll have worked and ordered Soul Society into a perfectly oiled machine again. I think that that counts for something."

"Ah, and yet again your words inspire me, Chojiro. I am not surprised that the old man Yamamoto chose you for his lieutenant. You come into so much use sometimes," she mused.

"Um, thank you captain?" Chojiro answered, bemused. Suddenly, a siren rang aloud, surprising all who were in the Squad 1 main office, and knocking Kiyomi off of her seat, waking her totally up.

"What the hell is that?!" Kiyomi yelled over the deafening drone, covering her ears.

"That appears to be the alarm from the Academy, captain. Something must be happening there. This siren will also ring out in every Squad HQ around Soul Society, so others could be making their ways there right now."

"I see," Kiyomi sighed. "Well then, let's get going huh?" she yelled at Chojiro, who looked puzzled at her, then quickly followed after her as she stormed off towards the Academy.

* * *

At the Academy, some captains and lieutenants were already gathered. These included: Soifon, Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu, Nanao Ise, Crystal Kyoraku and Shuhei Hisagi and Toshiro Hitsugaya. They looked on at the main hall, which was littered with bodies, some were horrified and some angered.

As Kiyomi and Chojiro arrived, the others moved out of the way to let them see. Kiyomi was horrified, and Chojiro looked around to the others.

"Did anyone see what happened here? Who did this? Someone tell me!" he yelled. He was met by silence. He went to ask again, but Kiyomi raised her hand.

"No Chojiro, they know nothing. Therefore we investigate ourselves," she said, moving into the hall. There, she noticed two figures huddled together in the corner. She moved over to them.

"Who are you? Intruders? Survivors? Answer me, if you would," she asked calmly.

The two figures came out from the shadows. It was Terri and Hiroshi, still scared and covered in blood. The captains and lieutenants were shocked at this, and Retsu motioned to Isane to be ready to heal them.

"Who are you?" Kiyomi asked sweetly. "Are you two enrolled here?" She looked at their blank faces. No reply came from them, until Hiroshi nodded his head slowly.

"Alright then, come on, take my hand," she said, putting her hand out. "It's alright, no need to be scared," she smiled.

Hiroshi nudged Terri, who was still scared stiff, so he wrapped his arm around her to pick her up. He then held onto her hand as he reached for Kiyomi's. Kiyomi took Hiroshi's hand and brought them outside. Kiyomi looked at them sympathetically.

"Do you want to tell me who did this?" she asked them. Hiroshi went to speak up, but stuttered. Kiyomi looked disappointed, then looked up to the rest of them.

"Apparently, they have been through a very traumatic experience," she said, in a business-like tone, yet again. "So therefore, we shall hospitalise them until they are recovered enough for us to get information from them, is this agreed?" she asked.

"Actually," a voice came from the distance. "You should keep them imprisoned also, as an extra-precautionary measure," came Byakuya's voice as he walked up to them. "They are covered in blood, yet have little to no wounds, leading me to believe they are somehow connected with this," he stated. "I do not say this out of spite, or anything of the sort. I just want to make sure that Soul Society is safe."

Kiyomi thought about Byakuya's point, as the others argued amongst themselves about the situation. Their arguing got louder gradually, and Kiyomi got gradually more annoyed.

Kiyomi burst out loud. "Would you people shut it?!" she yelled. The others hushed quickly. "Obviously something bad has happened here, and we cannot be sure who did this. Obviously these two are left here, so we cannot rule them out as being involved. We shall imprison them in a medium-security cell, and we shall need a medical crew to check on them. Retsu, if you would, could you arrange that for me?" she asked Retsu.

"Of course, captain," she answered sweetly. She motioned to Isane who took Hiroshi and Terri and got them to stand up again. Retsu and Isane then walked them towards Squad 4 HQ for medical treatment, when suddenly Terri yelled out.

"It was an arrancar!" she screamed. Hiroshi stared at her with a concerned look in his eyes. Kiyomi narrowed her eyes. The others gasped at the statement.

"An arrancar did this?" Soifon pondered. "Well, we at least know of one arrancar that we see nearly every day," she started.

Crystal yelled. "Don't you even dare accuse Zeo, Soifon! You know as well as I do that Raven only trusts those he deems absolutely pure, and Naomi has never been happier now that he's around."

Soifon scowled. "Crystal, we may go back a while, but I have to stop you there," she said. "The only lead we have is that it was an arrancar, so I'm saying it was Zeo."

Byakuya interrupted Crystal's retaliation. "But this girl is obviously traumatised badly. For all we know, she could've imagined it. I wouldn't be surprised if she declared that it was a Bount that attacked, and we all know that no Bounts are left. So, we should look into this further before we make accusations."

Soifon frowned, then flash-stepped away. Toshiro, watching the scene with interest, flash-stepped away deep in thought. Crystal and Shuhei flash-stepped back to Squad 9 HQ, and Nanao flash-stepped back to Squad 8 HQ along with them. Kiyomi sighed and walked up to Retsu.

"Make sure they get treated, please," she asked. "And please tell the guards not to allow anyone else other than medical officers into their cell, if you would."

Retsu looked at her knowingly. "I shall, captain. We shall treat them as well as we can."

Kiyomi smiled at that comment, as Retsu and Isane flash-stepped Terri and Hiroshi to Squad 4 HQ. Kiyomi then turned to Chojiro.

"Is Soul Society always so chaotic during a situation?" she asked him. Chojiro went into thought for a moment.

"We've had a slight history of it," he answered, with a slight hint of nervousness in his voice.

* * *

_And that's the 1st chapter. Obviously being plunged into chaos doesn't help Soul Society in the slightest. Still, R+R if you would please. And thanks for the views on the Prologue, I was quite surprised at the turnout. I was expecting far less._

_**Next chapter: **The exact chaos that Kiyomi was talking about surges dramatically in the next chapter, as Captain faces Captain, all over a big misunderstanding. Don't miss 'The Domino Effect', next week._


	3. The Domino Effect

**Chapter 2 – The Domino Effect**

Jushiro picked up the final statement given to him by Rukia, who was currently in Squad 13's training area determining who was capable of receiving captaincy. He quickly read through it, and as he finished the final few words he rested it on his desk and sighed.

"The weird thing is, I don't remember that this job was so difficult," he said to himself. "Maybe it's because of the fact I am doing things on my own now. Well, I can't say that it isn't doing me good to get back into the swing of things."

He then noticed that the alarm from a couple of minutes ago had stopped. He knew it was from the Academy, and expected that it was just a practical joke by a student there, so was expecting that it would have been turned off by one of the teachers eventually.

He slowly stood up, picking up the document he had just read, and walked over to a cabinet, which he opened revealing many different folders full of documents. He thumbed his way through many of them, before he came upon a folder marked 'Reports From Authorities About Near Destructions Of Soul Society' and placed it in there. He then chuckled to himself.

"Despite the fact that she was around for most of the Usaitar/Hisaigo fiasco, Rukia was unconscious for part of it, so her report isn't that detailed. I almost feel sorry for her for writing that."

"Well, thank you for that, captain," came a displeased voice from behind him. He turned around quickly and saw Rukia stood in the doorway. "It's nice to know that you had faith in me," she joked.

"Well, don't take it like that," Jushiro pleaded. "I was just joking to myself. You were a big help to them, y'know?" He looked quite embarrassed that Rukia had overheard him.

"Fine," Rukia said, a hint of humour in her voice. "It's nice to see that you're still as well-humoured as ever, captain."

"Yes, well, after recovering from a bad time in my illness, and after Soul Society recovered from what Usaitar and Hisaigo did, I think the time is welcome for some humour, don't you think?" he asked, smiling.

"Yes, well," Rukia trailed off. "No-one that I have monitored seems to be skilled enough to be regarded as captain level, so I guess they would have to come from other squads."

"Hmm, that's fairly troubling," Jushiro responded. "If we don't get captains up soon, if an attack comes then Soul Society won't be at full strength. I know that Naomi, Nanao and Tetsuzaemon are capable for now, but in battle I don't think they can cut it." He was interrupted as a hell butterfly fluttered in through the window.

"It appears that all captains need to attend another urgent meeting," Jushiro stated, after a while of silence. "You can handle things for a while, can't you Rukia?" he asked.

"Oh, of course, captain," she bowed. Jushiro smiled at her then walked out of the door to Squad 1 HQ.

* * *

As all the captains gathered at Squad 1 HQ, Kiyomi stood at the head of the room, with two rows of captains on either side of her. Her cold blue eyes were narrowed, and her usually presentable brown hair was no longer tied into a ponytail, but was loose, showing how much stress she'd been under over the last couple of minutes.

"As you all know, the Academy alarm was set off today," she started. "And as some of you know, something has happened there."

Jushiro looked on with a puzzled expression, Raven looked up on hearing this news whilst Kenpachi and Mayuri weren't too bothered.

"What happened, Captain Seiryoku?" Jushiro asked. She looked him in the eye and spoke slowly.

"There has been a massacre at the Academy," she whispered. Jushiro's eyes widened. Raven instantly looked at Kiyomi for the first time since entering the room.

"So you're telling me that every single student and teacher was killed?" Raven asked, in disbelief. Kiyomi shook her head.

"No, there were two survivors. We are currently looking into what has happened, but what one of them said has chilled me to the bone," she replied. "She has said that an arrancar attacked them."

Raven narrowed his eyes at this news. He looked around at the others, who slowly turned to him. Soifon was glaring at him. He smirked slightly.

"So, when news of an arrancar comes about, you all immediately place the blame on Zeo, huh?" he answered them. "I can't say that I'm surprised, but I'm telling you that it was not him."

"Really? Well then, where has he been for the past few hours?" Soifon spoke, malice in her tone.

"He has been currently working on a new sword for himself in the Squad 3 workshop. If you don't believe me, you can ask Izuru for an alibi."

"Can you be really sure, Raven?" Toshiro interrupted. Raven glared at Toshiro, then sighed.

"There was a time when we did not know his whereabouts, but a couple of minutes later, Izuru and I found him resting outside," he replied. "There was a period of about 15 or so minutes in which we did not know his position, but that is not time enough to do such a crime. I trust Zeo with my life, and I believe he did not do this."

"Yes, well, who actually cares anyway?" Mayuri added. "I mean, all of these soul reapers were obviously not good enough to take down one measly arrancar, so I say good riddance to bad rubbish." He was met with glares from most of the other captains, but then Kenpachi appeared to agree with him.

"If these guys weren't good enough to take down this arrancar, then they're not worth Soul Society's time, especially mine," he muttered. "Anyway, who actually believes that one arrancar could do all this anyway?"

Byakuya answered next. "This girl was in an extremely traumatic incident, so there is obvious space for mistakes in her recognising her attacker," he spoke, calmly. "So if anything, I think we should search Soul Society for anything out of the ordinary, and just for precautionary measures, we should keep watch over Zeo, for the time being." Raven was surprised at Byakuya for suggesting such a thing, but Byakuya continued. "It's not that I accuse him, Raven, it's just that for the sake of everyone's arguments, this is the best course of action."

Raven eventually accepted defeat. "Fine," he growled. "We shall keep a watch over him, but be discreet, will you? He has trouble fitting in as it is, if he thinks we're untrusting of him, he'll most likely defect to whatever force actually did this."

"It shall be done, then," Kiyomi agreed, finishing the issue. "In the meantime, I want all captains to carry their zanpakuto at all times, just in case. I also want you to tell your lieutenants about this, and also tell them to keep their zanpakuto on them, but leave the other officers out of this. It will worry them too much."

All captains nodded in agreement, some less enthusiastic than others. They then started to exit the hall through the front door, in single file. Soifon was annoyed, and was trying hard not to show her emotion through.

'How could they do this? They allow such a lenient outlook on the arrancar, who was named as the attacker, and yet they give the innocent kids a cell for the night. What is this place coming to?' she thought. Raven noticed her eyes narrowing, and looked to be deep in thought.

Toshiro was staring at Kenpachi's back, also narrowing his eyes. 'He is so lackadaisical about this massacre, why is that?' he thought. 'Maybe he really is trouble... Maybe Tosen was right.'

Byakuya had his eyes closed, but as Mayuri looked back with an evil smile on his face, his eyes opened and he glared right back at Mayuri, who simply turned back around, unfazed.

After they had all left, Kiyomi sighed and sat down on her chair. She rested her hand against her forehead and leant her elbow on the chair's arm. She groaned.

"Oh man, this job is frustrating," she moaned. "First all of this sitting around, and now we've been attacked by an unknown assailant." She looked up from her place. "I hope that Retsu and Isane have gathered more clues as to who did this." With that, she stood up and left for the cell where Terri and Hiroshi were being held, but not without stopping for a second to strap her sword to her waist.

* * *

The sun had set a couple of hours ago, and at the door of Squad 12 HQ Mayuri was silently stepping out, being cautious as to who was overlooking him. He started to walk over to where the outer buildings of Soul Society were, so that he could get to the scene of the day's massacre. He was interested in who or what had done this, so he wanted to run some tests. He was also running low on test subjects for his own personal experiments, so he thought he could find some there while he was at it.

As he walked up to the main hall, he reached into his robe and took out a few small bottles and started looking for clues. He bent down to the first body, which was badly mauled beyond recognition. He noticed a green liquid-like substance on the cadaver's robe, so he took out some small scissors to cut the contaminated cloth off. He then gently placed it into one of the bottles, and sealed the cap shut. He then stood up and walked over to another body, and immediately spotted some marks on its neck. He bent down and took a small camera out of his sleeve, taking a picture. He was going to move over to another, when a voice emerged from behind him.

"Gathering clues, Mayuri?" it spoke, calmly. "Surely you're here for something more, am I correct? It's quite suspicious that you're out here on your own, at the dead of night. Some people could say that you may have planned all of this."

Mayuri turned. "Who's there? And surely, you're being the more suspicious one, tracking me at the dead of night," he replied, squinting to see who was in the shadows. "Now tell me why you have come here, or I'll be forced to act."

"I assure you, I just came to check up on your actions, but if I must, I will eliminate you, for betraying Soul Society," the voice came back. Then from the shadows, the form of Byakuya Kuchiki came into view.

Mayuri was shocked, but then calmed down. "Betrayal? Now you've really lost it," he smiled. "I'm just gathering evidence."

"To me, it looks like you planned this to gain more subjects for your experiments, maybe?" Byakuya replied. "Of course, this is just a theory, and as you are the least trustworthy of all captains, I therefore suspect you."

"If you come closer, I shall have to strike you down," Mayuri threatened, reaching for his zanpakuto.

"That will not be possible, as I shall have stricken you down before you can even draw your sword," Byakuya replied, also reaching for his zanpakuto.

* * *

Kenpachi was running down a corridor in Soul Society, with Yachiru on his shoulder, telling him which direction to go. He turned a corner where Yachiru pointed, and then continued searching. He knew there was still the hint of a foreign spiritual pressure, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Yachiru was helping him, but he knew that she was even worse at sensing it than he was.

"This way Kenny!" she shouted, joy in her voice. Kenpachi just looked at her, as she pointed to their left.

"Are you sure Yachiru?" he said. "You haven't had the best track record with directions. Neither have I, admittedly, so what makes you think both of us can find it?"

"Because you're Kenny, Kenny! You can do anything!" she yelled, hyperactive. She then pointed left again, and Kenpachi turned.

"Are you sure you're not just leading us in circles?" he asked. Yachiru paused for a moment, then answered.

"No, of course not Kenny!" she yelled. "If I was, we'd recognise that wall there." She pointed to the wall on the right, which had a doorway with 'Squad 11 Barracks' painted on a sign next to it. Yachiru sweat-dropped. "Oops," she said, cheerily.

Toshiro was sitting in the tree opposite the Squad 11 barracks, and also sweat-dropped when that question was asked.

'That damn Kenpachi,' he thought. 'You've been running in circles. I guess that's what you get when you follow a kids direction.' He then tensed up. 'But still, what are you up to?'

"Yachiru, you've led us in a circle!" Kenpachi argued with her. Yachiru then pulled a tongue at him.

"I did. But, I'm sure it's here," she replied, looking away in a mood. Then there was a scuffling of shoe on floor, and Kenpachi quickly drew his sword and slashed at the tree behind him. The tree slowly split down the middle and fell to the floor. Toshiro landed on the ground with a thud.

"Damn, I'm sure that was him," Kenpachi muttered. "Maybe he's still out there?"

"See, Kenny? Yachiru isn't the only one who missed!" Yachiru taunted him. Kenpachi admitted defeat.

"Fine, maybe I could've hit him if I had tried. I still get the impression that he's here though."

Toshiro stood up slowly, rubbing his head. "Damn that hurt!" he muttered to himself. "That damn Kenpachi, the fool." He then stared at Kenpachi as he noticed Toshiro. They stared at each other for a while, before anyone said anything.

"What are you doing hiding in a tree, spying on me?" Kenpachi yelled. He had his sword pointed towards Toshiro.

"Well, if you want to know, I am suspicious of you Kenpachi," Toshiro answered, calmly. "So uncaring you were to the deceased it's hard not to be. You either knew they were dead already, or just really didn't care."

"Well," Kenpachi smiled. "You'll have to find out then, won't you? I want to get some revenge on you following me, and I'm sure you want revenge on my lack of sorrow for those dead soul reapers. So come on, draw your sword."

"Actually, I'm now more pissed that you took a swing at me," Toshiro growled. He then reached for his zanpakuto and unsheathed it, making a stance.

Kenpachi laughed. "This'll be fun!" he yelled, as Yachiru hopped off of his shoulder and jumped onto the wall to watch.

A few metres away, camouflaged, Matthew Richardson chuckled to himself, but hushing to keep himself from being noticed.

"Y'know, I was right," he said to no-one in particular. "This is a riot! Messing with these guys has got me in stitches!"

* * *

Zeo had just finished his new sword, and happy with the results, had gone outside to rest. He was lying on the grass outside of Squad 3 HQ, watching the night sky, with his new sword next to him. He looked at it.

"I went through a lot of hard work to make you," he said. "And I hope that we can fight a lot of battles together. I'm sure that you have a name or something, so I guess I'll have to find that out, huh?" he laughed. "Well, I'll find out eventually, right?"

Just as he was about to get up and go back inside to find Raven, a noise behind him made him turn around. He looked at who was there. It was Soifon.

"Ah, Captain Soifon, why are you at Squad 3 HQ at this time?" he asked, politely.

Soifon merely glared at him. "Do you know what has happened today?" she said, malice in her tone.

"Um, no captain," Zeo answered. "I've been making my sword all day in our workshop."

"Well, let me tell you," she continued. "Today, nearly the entire Academy's soul reapers were slaughtered where they stood. No-one knows who exactly did it, but there were two eye-witnesses. They say that an arrancar did this."

"An arrancar?" Zeo echoed. "Well, I don't know any who are still alive, if that's what you're here for." He was very cautious now.

"No, you misunderstand," Soifon responded. "I'm here because I suspect you did this. Now admit to it, and I'll go a little easier on you."

Zeo was sweating now. "I really don't know what you're talking about, captain," he said, backing off. "I really don't want to fight you."

"Hmm, so you finally understand what your situation is, huh?" Soifon smirked. "About time. Although time really isn't on your side now, as all you really have is cero, and I can easily block such a weak attack"

"Well, can you block this?" a voice came out from nowhere. A figure fell from the sky with a sword slash, which Soifon swiftly blocked with her own sword. The figure then jumped back to Zeo and stood between him and Soifon.

Zeo looked at his saviour. "Captain Ruhodesu!" he said, relief in his voice. Indeed, Raven was stood in front of Zeo, with his sword in his right hand, staring Soifon directly in the eye.

Raven smirked. "I realised what you were going to do after I heard your voice and saw the look in your eye at the captain's meeting," he said. "Soifon, I've known you too long to not realise what you were about to do."

Soifon smirked back. "That may be true, Raven, but what can you possibly do? You may have stopped me for now, but you wouldn't actually fight me, would you?"

Raven sighed. "Well, it would upset Crystal and Naomi, as they are closer to you than I am to you, but then again, Naomi would kill me if Zeo died, so I'll go with the first option," he joked. "So I will fight you, and you can't do anything to stop me." He then turned to Zeo. "Get into HQ and find Izuru, then stick together and tell him what is happening. He'll guard you for now."

Zeo nodded, and ran back into Squad 3 HQ. Raven turned back to Soifon and smirked. "You really want to go through with this?" he asked her.

"Yes, Raven. I shall go through with this with no regrets. I feel that Zeo should be punished for his actions, whilst those kids found at the scene were locked up! I can't believe what this place is coming to!"

"Well, Zeo is trusted, as he's been here for a couple of years now, so of course his punishment would be more lenient than those strangers found at the Academy. It only makes sense, can't you see this?" Raven replied.

"It makes no sense to me," Soifon retaliated. "Can't you see that those kids are innocent? Can't you see that there is only one person the arrancar description could fit?" She was desperate for Raven to see things her way.

"I'm sorry, Soifon. I cannot allow you to go through with this, no matter how much you believe it to be the true course of action," Raven replied, sighing. "Now, either raise your sword to me, or just give up."

Soifon glared at Raven, then raised her sword. "Fine, I shall come at you with all of my power, then I shall do what I came here to do, and I shall kill Zeo Oseomartir!"

Raven was silent as he reached into his haori, pulling out a second sword. It was slightly smaller than Raven's first sword, and he took a stance with both of them crossing. Soifon blinked.

"Is that Shinso? Ichimaru's sword?" she asked. Raven nodded, smiling. Soifon regained her focus. "Well, won't you tell me why you have it?"

"Heh, well, after I fought Gin during the final fight with Aizen, having beaten him, I didn't want to actually kill him, as I had too much respect for him. Matsumoto wouldn't have found it enjoyable either, I would expect. So, I decided to imprison him, getting permission first. I then took Shinso from him, deeming him unworthy of it, and he accepted his fate, allowing me to take it, saying that he was glad I was taking it rather than anyone else." Raven smiled slightly. "I guess that he and Shinso trusted me, as otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this."

He pulled Shinso back a bit, then pushed it forward towards Soifon. "Shoot 'em dead, Shinso!" he shouted. The blade extended rapidly towards Soifon, who only just managed to dodge out of the way. She flash-stepped to the right of Raven, and was now standing on the wall.

"You are able to use Shinso's shikai ability?" she panted, surprised. She then tensed her grip on her own sword. "But that won't matter, as not even your bankai can face up against my shunko ability!"

"We'll see, won't we?" Raven responded. "I think this'll be a fun fight," he said, a smile on his face.

* * *

_Complete chaos. Interesting build-ups, and next chapter, it's the actual fights. Please review, if you can. I'd enjoy to know what people think of this, up to now._

_**Next Chapter: **Next chapter, it's the full-on fights between Captains. Who's going to come out standing, and what other possible things can get in their ways? Find out in the next chapter, which I like to call 'Divided By The Sword'._


	4. Divided By The Sword

**Chapter 3 – Divided By The Sword**

Byakuya and Mayuri faced each other, the wind rushing past them. Their battlefield was the remains of the academy, corpses and all. They both held their zanpakutos in front of them, ready to make the first move. They both suddenly flash-stepped, then just as suddenly a clash of swords occurred a couple of metres away, both of them locked in battle. Mayuri in particular was struggling in this test of strength. He acted quickly, backing off just enough so that he could release his shikai.

"Claw out, Ashisogi Jizo!" His sword transformed into his golden, deformed trident blade mounted on his hilt, with which he took a stance. "Now you shall feel true pain, Byakuya!" Mayuri sneered.

Byakuya looked on, unimpressed. "I know all about your sword's abilities, Mayuri," he said, knowingly. "And that means that I will not allow your sword to even touch me." He then span his own sword so that it pointed upwards. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

His sword slowly dissolved into a pink mass of petals, which then surrounded him. He motioned, and they followed where had pointed, heading straight towards Mayuri. Mayuri attempted to flash-step away, but the bottom of his haori was shredded by the tiny blades that had attacked him.

Mayuri appeared again on Byakuya's far right, looking down at his haori. "How dare you!" he yelled. "How dare you lay a hand on me!" He then raised his sword again and started charging at Byakuya.

Byakuya stood perfectly still. "I didn't lay a hand on you, Kurotsuchi. I wouldn't want to dirty my hands with someone like you." Byakuya then turned, sweeping his arm towards Mayuri once again. The blades then headed towards Mayuri again, encircling him. They continually slashed at his body, whilst Mayuri blocked for his life.

* * *

Toshiro and Kenpachi were also staring each other down, with Yachiru sitting on the wall of Squad 11 HQ. Matthew Richardson was also sitting and watching, but had moved further away to a hill, which overlooked the situation.

"You know what the difference between you and me is?" Toshiro asked. "It's the fact that I have both shikai and bankai, whilst you don't even know the name of your sword!" He was already holding his sword out, ready to release it. "Reign over the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!" His chain attached to a smaller blade extended from his sword's hilt. "Now, it's time for you to answer for what you have done, Kenpachi!"

Kenpachi just stood there, his sword slung over his shoulder. "Please, a kid like you?" he taunted. "You would never be able to beat me! Scratch me, maybe, but slay me?" He then suddenly started to laugh evilly.

Toshiro started getting annoyed extremely quickly, and so hastily went in for an attack. Kenpachi saw this and merely laughed again, whilst swiftly slashing his sword in front of him, diverting Toshiro to retreat back. Toshiro staggered a bit, Kenpachi's sword barely missing him.

"Dammit!" Toshiro cursed. "I didn't know you were that fast, Zaraki." He then raised his own sword and took a stance.

"Heh, well maybe you're just too slow, kid," Kenpachi replied. "But I'll tell you what, if you can touch me, I'll go all out on you. We got a deal?"

"Fine," Toshiro smiled. "Then I'll just have to go all out on you then!" With that, he had raised his sword, an ice dragon emitting from its tip. "Go, Hyorinmaru!"

The dragon then proceeded to zigzag in the air until it hit Kenpachi, who steadied his blade in defence. Kenpachi was forced back a bit by the impact, but still wasn't scratched. The dragon then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Kenpachi laughed once again.

"Nice try kid," he complimented. "But that just won't do it. Now, I'm gonna attack you, and you need to block this time."

Kenpachi ran at Toshiro, sword at the ready. Toshiro got ready to block, but Kenpachi was ready already, and slashed down at Toshiro, who only just got his sword up to block. The force behind the attack pushed him back into the wall. As the dust cleared, Toshiro was gasping for breath, whilst Kenpachi was chuckling to himself. Toshiro growled then ran at Kenpachi again, but Kenpachi stood there with a wide smile. Kenpachi quickly grabbed Toshiro's sword with his free hand, cutting into his flesh.

"Hey, looks like you cut me!" Kenpachi laughed, readying his fist. He then released his force, punching Toshiro back into the wall opposite.

* * *

Raven and Soifon clashed swords multiple times, flash-stepping away then back again. They then backed off again, and stood opposite one another. Soifon was glaring at Raven, who in contrast was starting to enjoy the fight.

"I thought that you would understand most of all, Raven!" Soifon exclaimed. "You've always been 'for the good of Soul Society', so why change your tune now?"

Raven's slight smirk fell instantly. "I haven't changed at all, Soifon. I just know that Zeo was not responsible, and therefore Soul Society need not fear him." He then held his sword up again. "I am sorry that you do not see it the same way, but for your blind rage you will be cut down by me, for at this moment, you are the biggest threat to Soul Society."

Soifon angrily snapped at Raven after the final words came out of his mouth. "How dare you accuse me!" she screamed, malice in her tone. "I'd never have thought that you'd be so idiotic!"

She then quickly ran at Raven, brandishing her sword. Raven swiftly blocked and then parried, stepping back afterwards. He then glared at Soifon as she kept attacking in a blind rage. Raven kept blocking, but it was getting more difficult as Soifon kept attacking. As his arm was taking the damage after the 14th block, he quickly flash-stepped backwards to a safe distance.

"This is getting tiresome," he said, seemingly bored. "Now, to truly spice things up, I'm going to unveil a new ability of mine."

Soifon stopped dead. "What?" she murmured. "A new ability? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I have been training extensively ever since Usaitar was defeated. I was almost beaten by the arrancar Plata Acerogarra, and that really pissed me off. So, I decided that I'd become stronger. And this is the fruit of my labours. Now, shoot 'em dead Shinso! Kageyaiba!"

He drew Shinso from its sheath, and pointed it downwards. It then extended, but when it came to the ground, the blade turned black then pierced through, disappearing.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" Soifon stammered. She was so taken off-guard by it, that she didn't notice Shinso shooting in from behind her. When she did finally notice, she attempted to dodge, but it sliced through her haori. She landed and looked at haori. She glared even darker, then started to remove her damaged haori. Underneath it she was wearing a black, backless battle suit, the style that the Captain of the Stealth Force wears.

Raven was initially surprised at this, but then remembered. "Ah yes, you are the Captain of the Stealth Force, aren't you Soifon?" he asked, rhetorically.

Soifon was unimpressed. "What the hell was that?" she asked. "Your blade disappeared into the ground, then reappeared elsewhere. How did you do that?"

Raven smirked slightly. "Well, this is my kageyaiba, or shadow blade, ability. It allows me to release my sword's blade from its material prison by transforming it on a solid surface into kido, or shadow kido in my case. I can then move it at the speed of light to another solid surface, where it then reconstitutes and surprises my foe," he explained.

Soifon's expression became less intense. "Interesting..." she started. "How long have you been able to do this?" she asked, curious.

"Well, this particular ability I mastered 10 years into my training, Soifon," he answered. "Why? Do you think that after all of the speculation after all these years of who would win in a battle between you and me, that I shall be the victor?"

Soifon smirked. "No, not at all," she laughed. "I just wanted to know how long you've had to come up with any more tricks." With that she raised her sword in the air and started to release it. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"

* * *

Meanwhile, outside of Terri and Hiroshi's holding cell, Kiyomi sighed to herself. She looked at the notes she had taken. They were all the same, the children's stories never changed.

"Well then, at least I know that we're not looking for Zeo now," she mumbled to herself. "When they thought about it, the arrancar that attacked had his hollow mask as a jawbone around his shoulder, whilst Zeo has the fragment over his eye."

She stood up to walk out of Squad 4 HQ, when she looked out over to the ruins of the academy. She sighed at the destruction that their unknown intruder had caused, when she suddenly noticed a shining pink light.

"What? What the hell's going on?" she asked herself. "I'll have to go investigate," and with that, she quickly flash-stepped off towards the academy.

* * *

"Well, Mayuri, are you going to give up or will I have to deal you the finishing blow?" Byakuya asked.

Mayuri didn't answer, but instead laughed to himself. "My, my, aren't we arrogant?" he asked. "Well, no matter. You shall now be finished." Within the prison of petals, a strange light started to shine. "Now, bankai. Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!"

The prison of petals shattered instantly as the giant caterpillar appeared, growling as it stretched out. A lilac coloured gas was emitted from its mouth as it breathed in and out. Mayuri stood in front of it, holding his sword in a lackadaisical manner. He was thoroughly scratched up, but he looked fairly healthy.

"Well, you didn't expect that, did you Byakuya?" Mayuri sneered. "Now my Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo will skewer you and then you can say bye-bye to your dear sister Rukia." He then sniggered, gradually turning it into a full-blown insane laugh. "Go, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo! Kill him!"

The caterpillar rushed at Byakuya who, shocked at the sudden attack, barely dodged it. He then stood up quickly, reforming his sword in his hand, as the caterpillar turned around for another charge.

Byakuya span his sword to face downwards and dropped it. "This is the end. Bankai." It vanished into the ground, whilst a row of swords appeared on either side of him. They started to dissolve into his pink petal blades as he spoke. "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Mayuri was shocked. "What, you're releasing your bankai? Are you insane?" He was sweating now.

"Gokei," said Byakuya, solemnly. Large swords encircled Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo, leaving no blind spots. Byakuya tightened his fist and the swords plunged into the giant caterpillar, making it explode in a blast of toxic fumes. Mayuri was speechless.

Byakuya broke the silence. "Shukei." All of the swords that had skewered the caterpillar now floated over to Byakuya's right hand, in which formed a giant sword. "Hakuteiken." Wings and a halo then appeared on Byakuay's back, making him look almost angelic. He was just about to slice Mayuri, before a giant spiritual pressure surrounded them both.

"Neither of you move!" came Kiyomi's voice, flash-steppeing in between Byakuya and Mayuri to make sure that Byakuya was not going to attack.

"Captain Seiryoku, why are you interfering?" Byakuya asked, curious. Mayuri was relieved and released a sigh.

"I am interfering because you are fighting a pointless battle, you fools," she answered, anger in her tone. Immediately Byakuya depowered his bankai, re-sheathing his unreleased sword. She continued, "My investigation into this matter has shown that it was indeed an arrancar that attacked, and not some trick pulled off by Captain Kurotsuchi."

Byakuya bowed slightly. "I was just trying to do what was best for Soul Society," he apologised. Kiyomi interrupted him.

"But that was not reason enough for you to put Soul Society's laws into your own hands," she scolded. "Now, I want both of you to alert all captains for a meeting at Squad 1 HQ immediately!"

Byakuya and Mayuri glared at each other, then flash-stepped away without saying a word. Kiyomi sighed. "Man, I hate it when people act like idiots."

* * *

Somewhere in Soul Society, a black vortex suddenly opened, and a large hulking figure stepped out, stumbling slightly. It was bigger than the average human, but its features weren't that human anyway. It raised its head, picked up a scent, and disappeared, moving towards Squad 11 HQ.

* * *

Byakuya and Mayuri hadn't spoken since they were fighting, and neither was speaking now. They were both walking to the captain's recreational room, but neither was looking at the other. They walked in to find Captains Crystal Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake talking with Standing-Captain Naomi Ruhodesu.

"Captain Seiryoku wants to speak with all captains immediately," Byakuya spoke, looking around. "Where are the rest?"

Crystal sighed. "We don't know," she groaned. "We sent out invitations for a smaller meeting here to discuss current situations, but only us three arrived. Actually, we never received an answer from either of you. Where have you been?"

Byakuya and Mayuri looked at each other, trying to think of some way to get around the question. Mayrui spoke first.

"Does it matter?" he said. "The Head Captain wants a meeting now so we need to find them all, dammit!"

Crystal stood up with a mock salute. "Right you are Mayuri, I'm on it." She walked towards the doorway. "Coming Nai?"

Naomi stood up also. "Yeah, sure," she answered, and followed Crsytal out of the doorway.

Jushiro looked suspiciously at Byakuya and Mayuri, knowing that there was something they were hiding.

* * *

Suzumebachi's shikai formed around Soifon's middle finger, whilst Raven's eyes narrowed at Soifon's new weapon.

"Interesting weapon, Soifon, but it's no match for mine," Raven taunted. He raised Kujotenshi into the air horizontally. "Delete, Kujotenshi!" His sword extended into a staff-mounted scythe. A wind picked up around him as his sword released, the wave of which hit Soifon, who held her arms up to protect her face.

The wind finally settled down and Soifon smirked as she saw Raven's scythe. "So, I'm finally going up against the legendary Kujotenshi?" she asked. "I've always wanted to test my strength against that, ever since we were young."

Raven also smirked. "Yes, well, back then I was weak. Now, I'm much stronger, so let's start, huh?"

They both nodded to each other as they rushed in to strike at each other, Soifon dodging the slower attacks of Raven's scythe to stab Raven in the abdomen. They both backed off from the clash, Raven finding a butterfly-shaped crest on his abdomen.

"What's this?" he asked, confused. He tried to wipe it off, but it was clearly not moving.

"That is my hornet's crest, and when that's there, if I stab the same place again then you will instantly die!" Soifon replied.

"An instant kill zanpakuto?" Raven said, calmly. "Interesting..." he trailed off. "Well, let's see how useful it is, hmm?"

"We will, and not just that," Soifon added. "We'll also see how fast your reactions are. Have you ever wondered why the backs of these suits are missing? It's because of this particular technique, where the spiritual pressure escapes from the back, destroying all clothing in the way."

Raven just stood there, confused. "What the hell are you talking about? A technique that I'm unaware of?"

"It is a combination of hand-to-hand combat and kido, and it's called Shunko!" Soifon explained, making a stance. A white spiritual energy started winding around Soifon, erupting from her back, her power seemed to increase many times over.

She went to move, but Raven didn't know where she had moved to, as her speed was too quick to follow. He looked around, confused. He then felt a sharp stab in his back, with Soifon reappearing in front of him. She smiled.

"So, enjoying this technique?" she asked. Raven rubbed his back where he had felt pain. He then raised his scythe up in front of him.

"Yes actually. So much so, that I want to show you my instant kill ability!" he laughed.

Soifon looked on speechless. "Your instant kill ability?" she repeated. "You have one?"

"Indeed I do," Raven smirked. "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi!" His scythe elongated even more, and black wings sprouted from his back. The sky overhead darkened and Raven's eyes sparked with malice. "Now this will be a fun fight!" he yelled.

Soifon was having a bit of trouble seeing in the darkness. If she moved then she wouldn't know where her new position was, but if she didn't move, then Raven was sure to strike her down. She decided to stand her ground, until she felt a sharp pain in her arm. She went to reach and felt a feather on her skin. She was confused by this and shouted out into the darkness.

"Raven, what is the meaning of this feather?" she asked. At first, no answer came, but then slowly a darker version of Raven's voice came from the shadows.

"That feather is attached to a kunai which I hide in the staff of my scythe. Now, if 5 of those feathers attach to you, then you will be instantly deleted from existence."

Soifon felt worried now, as she was at a major disadvantage. She tried pulling at the feather. An even greater pain erupted from her arm as it came out. She screamed in response.

"Did I not tell you that they're attached to kunai knives? If you pull it out, it'll bring the knife with it," Raven laughed. "I seem to remember you smarter when we were younger. Hmm, must've been my imagination."

Raven went to attack again with his scythe, but suddenly a bright light engulfed the whole area. Crystal's bankai was active, and was sending the darkness back into Raven's blade. Naomi was also in tow and the two flash-stepped in between Raven and Soifon, to stop the fight.

Crystal looked sternly at Raven. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she screamed. Raven was taken aback, and looked uncomfortable. Naomi was also looking angrily at both Raven and Soifon.

"Why the hell are you two fighting?" she asked. "We're all friends here, right?" She looked to them both for an answer.

Raven shrugged it off, suddenly back into his usual apathetic mood. "We were just having a clash of ideals, it's no big deal, sis."

Soifon looked uneasy, not wanting Naomi to know why she was truly attacking Raven, and the wave of manic anger that had overcome her.

After many unanswered questions, Crystal sighed. "Fine, don't tell us. Just come with us. Captain Seiryoku wants a meeting, stat."

* * *

Toshiro struggled to get up, blood seeping from his mouth. Kenpachi was chuckling to himself, still. Yachiru was busy singing to herself how Kenpachi was going to kill Toshiro, in a nursery rhyme-like tune.

"I have to say, Zaraki. That was one hell of a punch!" Toshiro smirked. He finally stood and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Heh, so you finally up huh?" Kenpachi laughed. "Come and get me then!" He took a stance, waiting for Toshiro to attack.

Toshiro smiled. "So, you want me to attack, huh? Alright then..." He raised his sword into the air and then released it once again. "Bankai, Daiguren Hyorinmaru!" The ice dragon enveloped his sword-wielding arm and icy wings and a tail sprouted from his back.

Kenpachi looked on, disinterested. "Oh, come on, kid," he moaned. "I've seen that trick loads of times! Do something original, why don't ya?"

"Original?" Toshiro muttered. "How's this for original?" He flew over to Kenpachi, who readied his sword, and then slashed down. Kenpachi blocked effortlessly, and then retaliated. This slash caught Toshiro's shoulder, which then started to seep blood.

Toshiro flew back a bit to regain his composure, and then went in for another all out attack. Toshiro flew straight for Kenpachi, who was again ready to retaliate, but instead Toshiro flew upwards and then dive-bombed over Kenpachi, who didn't expect the aerial attack. Toshiro's sword scratched Kenpachi's shoulder, who started laughing uncontrollably as Toshiro landed.

"You've actually scratched me, for real this time!" he yelled. "This is great! Can't you feel the thrill? Come on then, attack me again!"

Toshiro looked in disgust. "This is exactly what Tosen said, you fool. Your bloodlust will be the main threat to Soul Society, that's what he told me on my first day of captaincy. I've never believed him truly until today," Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "So don't expect me to be enjoying this fight between us."

"Tosen said that, did he?" Kenpachi laughed again. "Well, if it didn't already occur to you, Tosen was a traitor, whilst I'm still here."

"Unfortunately, yes," Toshiro muttered, before flying in for another attack. He spiralled upwards when he got close, with a slash upwards to emphasise the directionality.

Kenpachi just as easily blocked the attack, retaliating for a third time in a row. He slashed at Toshiro's leg, which then started to bleed immediately.

Toshiro backed off again to recuperate. Kenpachi started laughing hysterically now. Toshiro growled and then flew at Kenpachi again, he raised his sword up for a stab and then released his spiritual energy. "Ryusenka!" Toshiro yelled as he stabbed into Kenpachi, who saw what was coming beforehand, so expertly parried the attack. Some of the ice covered Kenpachi's sword-wielding hand, freezing it solid.

Kenpachi looked at his hand, then looked in thought for a moment. "Hmm, I really should stop getting hit now, otherwise there's a good chance I may actually die," he muttered. He reached for his eye-patch. "All right then!"

"Don't you dare, Zaraki!" came a low voice from their right. The towering form that had appeared held onto Kenpachi's hand that was reaching for his eye-patch. The towering form finally blurred into view, of which both Kenpachi and Toshiro recognised.

"Sajin Komamura!?" they yelled in unison.

* * *

_A cliff-hanger ending, for good reason - to instill tension in the readers. Still, the fighting looks to be over, but is it truly, or are Soul Society just kidding themselves? Please review, if you can - it would be appreciated._

_**Next chapter: **It looks like Sajin makes his return something to remember, and he starts off by facing up against the one who's been causing all fo the trouble so far - Matthew Richardson. Don't miss the next chapter - 'Animal Instinct'._


	5. Animal Instinct

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4 – Animal Instinct

Kenpachi and Toshiro stood silent, in shock that Sajin had appeared out of nowhere. Sajin was glaring at them both, a growl emitting from his throat.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" he yelled. "What would people say if they saw you fighting like this?!"

Toshiro looked down, obviously affected by his words, whilst Kenpachi grew a smirk. He then started to laugh softly, growing louder.

"Where did you go off to, Komamura?" he asked, still laughing. "I was almost discrediting your return here."

Toshiro looked back up to meet Sajin's eyes. "This does not concern you, Komamura," he spoke slowly. "I am engaged in battle with Captain Zaraki over matters that affect Soul Society as a whole, now get out of our way!" He took flight again and attempted to slash at Kenpachi, who was still being held by Sajin.

Sajin sighed, then unsheathed his sword. "Roar, Tenken!" he yelled, and then a giant sword and arm appeared from behind him to throw Toshiro back into the opposite wall. Toshiro started to breathe heavily, after being thrown into the wall for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"No, you two listen to me!" Sajin roared. "We will stop this foolishness and discuss it with Head Captain Yamamoto!" Kenpachi quickly looked awkward, as if he wanted to leave the situation.

"Uh, Komamura," he started. "I don't wanna be the one to tell ya, but Yama's been gone for a while."

Sajin's eyes narrowed straight away. "What?" he asked, bewildered. "But Yamamoto is too powerful to be felled in battle! How can this happen?"

Toshiro struggled to stand up. "You've been away for so long, that Yamamoto succumbed to old age, and passed away here, in Soul Society."

Sajin kneeled down, still tall enough to be at Toshiro's level, and slammed the ground with his fists. He then quickly snapped back and stood up, new confidence in his eyes. "Well then, let us go to the new Head Captain and discuss this!" he yelled.

* * *

The Squad 1 HQ was full of captains, arranged in order of Squad number. Raven and Soifon stood awkwardly opposite one another, Crystal and Naomi eyeing them, so that they would not attack each other again. Byakuya stood two spaces away from Mayuri, Nanao being the only person separating them. They didn't even glance at each other whilst they waited. Nanao, Naomi and Tetsuzaemon were standing in their squads' captains' spots, as they were most suitable to fill in at this time.

Kiyomi was stood at the head of the room, Chojiro standing at her left. She had a displeased look on her face.

"May I ask where Kenpachi and Toshiro are?" she asked, annoyed. There was silence around the room, no-one knowing where they were. "Ugh, fine," she moaned. "We'll start without them."

Just then the doors of the room swung open and three figures stepped in. There was no surprise at the first two, but everyone was in shock at the tallest figure.

"Ko..Komamura?!" Crystal stuttered. Sajin stepped into the room, followed by Toshiro and Kenpachi, who were looking away from each other.

"I thought that you had fallen in the final battle with Aizen, Komamura," Ukitake gasped. "I never thought I'd see you again."

Raven smirked. "I thought I sensed your spiritual pressure, even if it was minute," he said. "Although, I thought it was just false hope."

Sajin walked past everyone and stopped short of Kiyomi, dwarfing her by a few feet. Kiyomi looked at him, whilst Sajin looked at her. He then bowed to her.

"I am glad that if anyone was to replace Yamamoto, that it would be you Kiyomi," he said. "You were always like him, and you also accepted me for who I was."

Kiyomi smiled, sympathetically. "Well, it's good to see you again, Sajin," she said, bowing in reply. "But may I ask, what brings you back, and where have you been all this time?"

Sajin stood up slowly, then turned to the others. "I have been trapped in, what I expect, to have been a caja negacion by an arrancar, for this time," he explained. "I was facing down that traitor Kaname, when one of them snuck up behind me and trapped me when Tosen was using his bankai."

Tetsuzaemon stepped forwards. "But how did you escape, Captain?" Sajin looked at him, straight in the eye, then smiled.

"Do you believe that those arrancar fools could have trapped me forever?" he chuckled. "I am back, and I am ready to resume my place." He trailed off, then turned to Kiyomi. "If you would allow it of course, captain."

Kiyomi smiled again. "Well then, how can I refuse such a polite offer?" she said. "You are now looking at your new Captain of Squad 7, does everyone agree?"

Crystal beamed as she nodded. Naomi and Retsu nodded also, followed by Jushiro and Soifon nodding in agreement. Byakuya, Nanao and Raven soon followed, with Mayuri, Kenpachi and Toshiro eventually giving their opinions.

Tetsuzaemon quickly ran over to Sajin and guided him to his rightful place, whilst Sajin staggered a bit from the exhaustion of escaping his prison.

Kiyomi quickly looked at Kenpachi and Toshiro. "And where have you two been?" she asked, suspicious. Sajin quickly intervened.

"I found these two fools fighting each other next to Squad 11 HQ earlier," he answered for them. "I quickly separated them to bring to you, Captain."

Raven, Soifon, Byakuya and Mayrui's eyes widened at this news, whilst Crystal and Naomi looked on, confused. Kiyomi's eyes narrowed. "It looks like we have an intruder in Soul Society then," she spoke. "If there were three fights between captains tonight, then I don't find it a coincidence."

Jushiro looked at Mayuri and Byakuya. "So that's what happened," he said. "You fools, at a time like this?"

Byakuya simply closed his eyes. "It seems something came over me that I cannot explain, so therefore I accept all criticisms that come my way."

Crystal turned to Raven. "So then, did the same happen to you, Rae?" Raven shook his head, then Soifon spoke up.

"I had a similar experience, actually," she admitted. "I was in a blind rage with the first person I saw, and that just happened to be Raven."

Toshiro spoke up. "Come to think of it, I did feel slightly drowsy during the time that I was following Kenpachi, and during our fight. Maybe it is some kind of mind altering device?"

Kiyomi sighed. "Unfortunately there is no way of knowing, but if Mayuri's findings give any clues, we will be sure to follow them," she explained. "So until then, no-one is to go to the academy ruins until we have found this out!"

Everyone stood to attention as she yelled this order. She then went onto another matter. "Also, I have decided that the children can be released now," she added. "They have recuperated from the shock enough to be allowed out, but we will need a place of residence for them, as their rooms at the academy aren't fit for them at the moment."

Retsu smiled. "I'll be happy to allow them to stay at Squad 4, we have enough rooms," she said. Kiyomi thanked her, then went on to dismiss the meeting. Everyone went to walk out of the room, Soifon and Raven meeting as they walked out.

"I'm sorry, Raven," Soifon whispered, apparently difficult for her to admit. Raven just walked by her, silent. Soifon's eyes fell, until he replied softly.

"Do not worry about it," he said. "I understand what you were going through." He then slyly added a last comment before they walked outside. "It was also one of the best fights I've had in years, even if it did end prematurely."

* * *

At Squad 4 HQ, Terri and Hiroshi stared wide-eyed as Isane and Rukia awaited them as they were released. Terri walked out first, with Hiroshi following her.

Rukia smiled at Terri. "Hi, you must be Ratiasu's daughter, mustn't you?" Terri looked awkwardly at her, not knowing who she was. "Well, I am Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki of Squad 13. Your mother was a good friend of mine, and used to be my lieutenant when I was a stand-in captain."

Terri and Hiroshi looked at each other. Terri then smiled at Rukia. "Um, hi," she said, outstretching her hand, to shake Rukia's. Hiroshi awaited Rukia to turn to him.

"And you are?" she asked. Hiroshi swallowed. "I am Hiroshi Takahashi, Lieutenant Kuchiki," he said, bowing low.

Isane interrupted. "Well Hiroshi, Terri," she said. "You shall be staying here at Squad 4 by orders of Head Captain Seiryoku, is that alright?"

They looked at each other and then back at Isane. "Sure," Terri answered. "But, where are our swords? They were taken from us when we arrived."

Isane smiled, then led them to another room. "Here we go," she said, "the storage room." The room was full of accessories and other things that could be seen as slightly dangerous. There was a cage at the back of the room, full of weapons, mostly swords.

"This is where we keep inmates' and patients' items that we feel are dangerous," she explained. "The swords are locked in that cage for some extra protection." Isane then took out a key and unlocked the cage. "What did your swords look like?" she asked.

"Um, that one with the grey guard is mine," Hiroshi said. Isane picked it up and gave it to him, with a 'thank you' in reply. "And your sword, Ms. Zakura?" Isane asked.

Terri looked around. "Ah, the one with the vermillion sash around it, and then the two next to it, please," she said, politely.

Isane turned to her. "What? 3 swords?" she asked, confused. Rukia looked over two of them, and she smiled.

"One of them is Kazedoragon, her father's sword, and the other is Doragonsumiyaika, her mother's, am I right?" she asked.

Terri looked at her, shocked, and smiled. She then looked at Isane, who eventually gave in and retrieved them for her. She thanked Isane as she locked up.

Terri turned to Rukia. "So, you were you really close to my mother?" she asked, curious.

Rukia smiled in reply. "Why yes, we were less of a Captain-Lieutenant tandem, and more of a tandem of equal footing," she laughed. "Sometimes she was even stronger than me."

Isane led them out of the security cells, and into the Squad 4 main ward. She pointed over to a corridor. "Down that corridor, the second door on your left," she said. "It has one room that can be sectioned for privacy, I do hope it is to your liking." She bowed and left.

Rukia said that she had some business to take care of and that she would visit them later on, so Hiroshi and Terri followed Isane's directions to their room. They opened the door to find a fairly large room, with a bed at opposite ends of it, and a room divider at the side, ready to be spread across the room.

They looked at their beds to see a change in robes, and there was an open window, bringing in a freshness that they had not felt for a while. Terri ran up to her bed and threw herself on it. She turned to Hiroshi. "Come on, get used to the feel of it!"

Hiroshi stood there, scared. "Terri, I think..." he started. "I think I can sense that arrancar again..." he finished, pointing out of the window. Terri sat up and looked directly out of the window, seeing no-one.

"What are you talking about, Hiroshi?" she dismissed his fear. "There's nothing there. Just lie down for a while. I'm sure you're just tired."

Hiroshi lay down on his bed, breathing in deeply. He turned to Terri, who was smiling with her eyes closed, trying to fall asleep. 'I hope that you're right Terri, I really do,' he thought.

* * *

Matthew Richardson ran away from their window and stopped to hide behind a hill, removing his cloaking power. He was sweating, afraid that he was almost caught.

"Did that kid really sense me?" he asked himself. "I hid my spiritual pressure masterfully. No-one should've sensed me, not even someone like Captain Kuchiki or Captain Ruhodesu."

Just then a black portal appeared next to his head, with the soul reaper's face appearing on it. "Is chaos reigning down on Soul Society yet?" he asked, anxious.

"Um, slight cock-up with that plan," Matthew started. The soul reaper angrily growled, with Matthew trying to hush him. "Well, you see," Matthew continued. "The toxins that I released did their jobs and hijacked some of their minds, but for some reason it didn't last very long. I've never had this problem before, so I can't explain it." He continued. "And that damn Zeo never got blamed for any of it," he said, with malice. "And what's worse, is that those kids that saw the massacre didn't even get mentally scarred! I don't know what the youth of today is coming to if kids aren't freaked out by death anymore..."

He was cut off. "I don't care!" the soul reaper answered. "Just come back so that we can initiate the main part of our plan. So just shut the hell up, get over yourself and get here stat!"

The black portal vanished with that, and Matthew picked himself up. "Damn arrogant fool," he muttered. "Who does he think he is?" He then heard a faint sound behind him, to find Toshiro standing there to cut off his escape.

"Ah, so you must be the arrancar who attacked the academy," Toshiro stated. His wounds were bandaged, but still had bloodstains on them. This didn't deter him, however, and he was brandishing his sword, staring at Matthew.

"What? Captain Hitsugaya?" Matthew said. "Such a pleasure to see you again, but I have to go," he started.

"No," Toshiro said. "I shall not allow it. You shall be defeated by my blade! Go, Hyorinmaru!" The ice dragon extended from his swords' tip, heading straight for Matthew, who expertly dodged and appeared behind Toshiro.

"Fool," he taunted. "You're barely able to stay up, how do you think you can defeat me? You probably couldn't even beat that damn Zeo in your current state."

Toshiro growled, his grip around his hilt tightening. "Watch what you say, filth! Go, Hyorinmaru!" Again the ice dragon appeared in attempt to freeze Matthew, but Matthew dodged again, with perfect timing. He appeared behind Toshiro again, and slashed at his back with his own sword. Toshiro staggered forwards, blood spewing from his mouth. He turned to see Matthew smiling evilly, his sword raised.

"So, now you know to give up, yes?" Matthew laughed. "Or do I have to torture an admittance of inferiority out of you?"

"We'll see," Toshiro said, flatly. He released Hyorinmaru again, which flew straight up into the air this time, whilst Toshiro ran forward into a deadlock with Matthew. Hyorinmaru travelled through the air to end up charging at Matthew's back. Just as it was about to attack him, he jumped into the air flipping backwards. Hyorinmaru continued on, unaware it was to hit its master, who was thrown backwards and landed on his back.

Matthew landed and walked towards Toshiro, who was groaning on the floor. Matthew raised his foot and stamped on Toshiro's sword wielding hand, who screamed out in pain. Matthew then walked over to Toshiro's other hand and stamped on it, with Toshiro screaming in agony once again.

Matthew kneeled down, staring at Toshiro. "Looks like you are what I thought you were," he laughed. "You're a bug that deserves to be trodden on. You're worthless, y'know that?"

Toshiro tried to grasp for his sword, but his hands ached too much. He then yelled in pain as Matthew slammed the hilt of his sword into Toshiro's abdomen. Matthew savoured the scream, until he heard a roar behind him.

"I thought I felt a dirty spiritual pressure! You leave him alone, vile arrancar!" Sajin roared. "Now Roar, Tenken!" Sajin slashed down with his sword, a giant sword appearing to take Matthew down, but he blocked and was forced back a fair distance. Sajin thrust his sword forwards, creating a giant sword which pushed Matthew back even further.

"Damn, this is too much," Matthew cursed. "I may have to use my resurrection a little bit too early." He stopped. "Or, I could use my other powers."

He vanished immediately. Sajin looked around to find where he was, but Matthew had disappeared. Suddenly, Matthew appeared overhead, sword ready to slash down with, so Sajin quickly blocked creating a giant sword to aid his effort. Matthew was thrown upwards, and when he landed, he instantly used sonido to run behind Sajin. He then coughed up some sort of liquid into his mouth, quickly spitting it at Sajin, who just managed to dodge it. Some splattered on his torn haori, which quickly dissolved on the stains.

"Acid?!" Sajin yelped, surprised. Matthew smiled evilly, then formed his hand into a point, running at Sajin. Sajin, taken aback, merely thrust his sword forward. A giant sword appeared, taking Matthew back a couple of metres into a rock, which shattered instantly.

Suddenly, a garganta appeared beside the struggling figure of Matthew, and a small girl stepped out of it. The girl smiled sweetly at Sajin then walked over to Matthew. She grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the garganta.

"Come on, Mat, it's time to go, no?" she giggled. "Ken says it's about time you were back, and Maya finds you having loads and loads of fun! It's no fair Mat, so Maya is going to take you back so we can plan our attack together, right Mat?"

"Maya, get off of me!" Matthew growled. "I'm having fun here. I was just about to release my resurrection for the first time since God-knows-when!"

"No, Ken said so!" Maya pleaded. "Ken scares Maya, so come with Maya?" She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, and eventually Matthew sighed.

"Fine," he said. He turned to Sajin. "This isn't over, mutt!" he laughed, as he and Maya walked through the garganta, it disappearing behind them.

Sajin walked over to Toshiro and picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder. "It looks like I have more to report to Head Captain Seiryoku, but first I think we'll need to get you to Squad 4, Toshiro."

* * *

Kiyomi almost fell from her chair when she heard the news. Sajin had just told her what had happened.

"You saw a mod soul helping the arrancar?" she asked in disbelief. Sajin nodded. Kiyomi placed her hand over her face and rubbed her forehead. "This is too stressful," she muttered.

"Well, at least we know that they are from Hueco Mundo, captain," Raven interrupted. Crystal nodded, "Yeah, now we also know the name of the mod soul at least."

Byakuya stood silently in agreement, whilst Jushiro was thinking. "I think there might be some reference of mod souls in the library, maybe even a mention of this 'Maya' girl," he said. "I shall go down into the library and research it, Captain Seiryoku." With that he left for the library.

Raven turned to Crystal. "I'm sure that the Kyoraku clan have some ancient texts right?" he asked. Crystal nodded. "Well, if we go to study them, we might be able to find some possibilities on who this 'Ken' is, or who 'Maya' is."

Crystal smiled in reply. "Yeah sure, although we'll have to see Shunsui for some of them, he still has some left over from when we studied up on Usaitar."

Kiyomi was relieved. "Well, at least a plan is formulating," she sighed. "We'll need time for this research I expect?" Raven and Crystal nodded. "Alright then, we may send out some reconnaissance on Hueco Mundo, so if you could, go speak with Soifon about her Stealth Force."

Crystal and Raven nodded and left. Sajin sighed and also started to leave. "Forgive me captain, but I need my rest before I resume my roles as captain tomorrow, so that we can run as a well-oiled machine."

Kiyomi nodded. "Good, Sajin. Make sure you don't overdo it, alright?" Sajin nodded in reply and left. Byakuya was now left with Kiyomi. She turned to him.

"I should still punish you for attacking Mayuri before, but I can let it slip this time, Byakuya," she said, sternly.

Byakuya was silent. "Don't think I won't have this conversation with Mayuri also," she continued. "Just make sure you follow orders from now on, Byakuya."

"I shall, Captain Seiryoku," Byakuya said slowly, leaving. Kiyomi sighed. "Why does this job seem so hard when you finally get it?" she asked herself. "I mean, I can't yell at anyone, it's not in my nature."

She was interrupted by the arrival of Retsu Unohana, walking in with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry I didn't knock, Captain Seiryoku, but I'm in a bit of a rush."

"It's fine, Retsu, please. What is it?" Kiyomi asked. Retsu looked at her, then answered. "It's Toshiro, captain, he's going to be fine," she replied, cheerily.

"Well, that's a relief," Kiyomi sighed. "Well, keep me updated on his conditions if you would, Retsu."

As Retsu left, she turned to Kiyomi. "Don't worry, you're doing a fine job, captain," she reassured her. Kiyomi looked up in shock then smiled back. "Thank you Retsu, you may go now."

* * *

Matthew and Maya walked up to a giant rock spire, surrounded by 6 stone obelisks. On the central spire, there sat a throne made of rock, upon which the soul reaper was sat.

"Matthew, I told you to get back here, but you started not one, but two fights," he said, slowly and coldly.

Maya quivered in fear, and Matthew stood in front of her. "Yeah, and that is because I was attacked twice," he retaliated. "How was I meant to escape when they continued to attack me?"

Suddenly, the soul reaper jumped down and lifted Matthew up by the throat, choking him.

"Kenji stop!" the older female yelled, appearing from behind an obelisk. She also had fear in her eyes, and her yell was more like a plea than anything else. "We need all four of us for this plan to work."

Kenji, the soul reaper, let his hold loosen, and Matthew fell to the ground again, gasping for air. Maya kneeled down to help Matthew but he pushed her away. The woman walked over to Kenji, and lowered her voice.

"We can trust him, Kenji," she said. "We don't need to kill him." Kenji thought this over for a minute, then walked back over to his throne, which he then sat on.

"You are lucky today, arrancar," he laughed, coldly. "For if I had my way, you'd be dead where you stood. But now, let's focus on our grander plans, hmm? The destruction of Soul Society is at hand!"

* * *

_A bit late in the posting today, I mean for me it's 11:something, and that's just not right. Anyway, Sajin makes quite a debut, stopping a potentially devastating fight between Kenpachi and Toshiro, then fighting back Matthew to save Toshiro, yet again - who appears unable to get a break._

_**Next chapter: **A lot of research goes into working out who Soul Society's new enemies are, and it seems that the captains are working together well for the first time in a while. It's 'The Calm Before The Storm', next time._


	6. The Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter 5 – The Calm Before The Storm**

The rest of the night lay silent; the only few who were awake were the captains. Kiyomi was currently in Squad 1, researching through all the documents she had found that Yamamoto had collected. Jushiro was in the library, looking for scripts that could aid them, and Raven and Crystal had already received some documents from Shunsui, and were walking towards Squad 2 HQ.

"Are you sure you won't lash out at her again?" Crystal scolded Raven as they walked.

"Yes I'm sure, Crystal," he answered. "It was some sort of attack by the arrancar that did this, not of mine or Soifon's own accord. Therefore I am certain in saying that we will not want to kill each other when we next meet."

"Good," Crystal replied, smiling. "Because I actually don't know who I would root for in that fight; my boyfriend or one of my best friends..." Crystal then did a fake thinking pose, which riled up Raven, who growled to show his irritation.

Raven flash-stepped off towards Squad 2, leaving Crystal to yell "Hey, I was kidding!" and flash-step after him.

* * *

In Hueco Mundo, the four acquaintances were stood in a ring, only Kenji was sitting on his throne. He had a sadistic smile on his face.

"Well, Matthew," he started. "Since your plan to cause chaos in Soul Society failed, they now know that we are coming." Matthew narrowed his eyes at the word 'failed', to which Kenji put most emphasis. "But no matter," he continued "as the plan will still go on, whether they're ready or not! We have all been wronged by them, and they shall soon feel the pain that we have felt!"

The woman clapped to show her appreciation. "You're right Kenji, as always," she cheered. "I shall follow you through thick or thin."

Kenji snapped. "Quiet, Kaede!" he yelled. The woman, Kaede, quickly stopped and hung her head. Kenji softened up again. "Forgive me," he apologised. "These times are most stressful and exciting, so I have little control over my emotions at the moment."

Maya nodded. "We forgive you Ken! Maya thinks Ken is brilliant!" she said, happily. "Maya also thinks that we'll beat that old Ghost Town into submission!"

Kenji chuckled, albeit coldly. "Thank you for your general support, Maya," he replied. He then stared out into the distance. "Soon, our plans and our payback will be unleashed!"

Matthew, Maya and Kaede each looked up at Kenji, enjoying the fact that they would get their revenge soon.

* * *

"Found anything yet, Chojiro?" came Kiyomi's voice, hidden behind two large stacks of documents. Her meetings room was literally cluttered with pieces of paper, rolled up scrolls and open books. She was currently peering at a book entitled 'The Gotei 13's Roles And History In Soul Society', in which she was on the page entitled 'Squad 3 Captaincy – Gin Ichimaru'. She scowled when she saw the title, and quickly turned over a couple of pages to get away from it.

Finally Chojiro's answer came, as he carried a large stack of scrolls around the corner of one of the mountains of books. "Um, no Captain Seiryoku," he said, muffled by the scrolls.

Kiyomi sighed. "Damn," she moaned. "Who knew it would be so difficult to find something on that mod soul and that arrancar?" She went back to turning the pages fairly quickly until she found a picture of the original captains from Gotei 13. She stopped short of turning the page and smiled in reflection.

Chojiro walked up behind her. "Is that a photograph of the original captains?" he asked. "Ah yes, quite a formidable team if I remember correctly."

Kiyomi looked up at him. "Do you think I will be able to fill Yamamoto's shoes well, Chojiro?" she asked, uncomfortable.

Chojiro looked at her, sympathetically, then answered. "Of course, captain!" he answered cheerily. "Yamamoto would be proud that someone like you has taken over, and not someone like Hisaigo."

Kiyomi snapped out of her mood, and back into focus. "You're right, Chojiro, as usual," she said. "I was just getting upset over past experiences, so let's find what we're looking for, alright?"

Chojiro stood to attention. "Yes, ma'am!" he yelled in response, walking over to another stack of documents.

* * *

Crystal finally arrived at Squad 2, following Raven who had arrived a couple of seconds earlier. Crystal panted. "I said wait up, didn't I?"

Raven ignored her and walked towards the doors. The guards on either side stood to attention as they arrived. "What is your business with Captain Soifon?" one asked.

"We are Captains Ruhodesu and Kyoraku of Squads 3 and 9 respectively," Raven answered, in a business-like tone. "We have a request from Head Captain Seiryoku, wanting us to discuss with her about a reconnaissance mission to Hueco Mundo."

Crystal walked up beside him and nodded. "So let us in," she added. The two guards looked at each other and then went to open the doors. Raven and Crystal walked through, Crystal thanking the guards, and up to the main building. As they entered, they saw Soifon looking over reports on her desk. She looked up to see them both, and stood up to welcome them.

"Crystal, Raven, welcome," she said. "What business do you have with me?" She was still rather awkward around Raven, whilst he didn't seem to care.

"Well," Crystal answered. "Captain Seiryoku asked us to stop off and ask you a favour." Soifon looked curious, and motioned them to continue. "Well, as we know that they use garganta as a method of transport, it is obvious to conclude that they come from Hueco Mundo," Crystal continued. "So Captain Seiryoku wants a reconnaissance mission to Hueco Mundo to scout out how many and who they are."

Soifon mused over this idea for a while. "Hmm, it sounds interesting," she admitted. "Gathering some information on our enemies will definitely be an advantage." She then noticed the stack of texts under Raven's arm. "And seeming as though you two are researching also, we will most certainly have enough information to produce a counter-attack when we need to."

"Yeah," Crystal answered. "We got these from Shunsui, because we went to visit him too. He kept a load of documents from when we researched on Usaitar."

Soifon mused over it for a while. "Very well, I shall send a team of four to scout out our enemies," she said. "Please tell Captain Seiryoku that her order has been fulfilled."

Crystal bowed, then forced Raven to bow too. Soifon bowed in response. "Thank you Soifon," Crystal answered, smiling. "We'll see you later, alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Soifon answered, as Raven and Crystal started to leave. Soifon suddenly spoke up. "Hey, Crystal?" she asked, quickly. Crystal turned around. "We haven't done anything for a while, so we could bring Naomi and maybe go to the human world for a visit, huh?"

Crystal smiled. "Yeah, Soifon," she said, cheerily. "That sounds awesome! Although, it'll have to be the next time that we're all free. I'm sure Captain Seiryoku will be nice enough to let us have a bit of time off." Soifon looked relieved. "By the way, Soifon," she continued. "You don't need to repair our friendship, as we weren't the ones fighting."

Soifon looked at her, blushing slightly. "Yeah, but we haven't hung out in a while, so that's why I asked," she admitted.

Crystal smiled. "It'll be totally like when we were younger, when we were so much closer." She then turned to leave. "See you later then Soifon," she waved.

"Bye guys," Soifon answered, waving back. She then turned to the door on the opposite side of the room. "Marechiyo!" she yelled. Marechiyo walked into the room. "How much of that did you hear?" she asked.

"Um, nothing captain," he answered, nervously. Soifon walked up to him and stood at his side.

"I want you to give the order of a group of our Stealth Force to scout out Hueco Mundo," she ordered. "And if you ever tell anyone that I have a soft side, you're gonna get beaten down so fast."

Marechiyo gulped at the last statement, then turned and ran out of the room. Soifon laughed quietly, enjoying the look on Marechiyo's face.

* * *

Sajin groaned as he lay down onto a large mattress, specially set up by Tetsuzaemon, who was currently getting some water for his captain. Sajin turned to look at his lieutenant.

"Tetsuzaemon, you need not do all of this for me," Sajin said. "I am capable of doing these things myself."

Tetsuzaemon hushed him, put the glass of water next to where Sajin lay, then walked over to Sajin's desk to sort out the reports.

"Captain Komamura, now that you are resuming your duties, I need to inform you of everything that you have missed over these last few years," Tetsuzaemon explained. "And as the stand-in captain for Squad 7 for this time, I shall inform you on past occurrences."

Sajin rested his head down on a cushion that Tetsuzaemon set there for him. "Very well then, please go ahead."

Tetsuzaemon cleared his throat. "Well, starting off with Squad 7, we did have a captain for the duration in which you were missing, who has only recently left for the human world."

"Oh?" Sajin asked, curious. "And who was this captain that you speak of, and why did he leave?"

"Ah, that would be Ketu Zakura, captain," Tetsuzaemon responded. "And he left some time ago with former lieutenant of Squad 13 Ratiasu to live in the human world. Apparently, Soul Society was too violent for them."

"Hmm, I recognise that name," Sajin mused. "Zakura, yes I remember. Quite a student when he was enrolled at the academy, so much so that he even caught Captain Kuchiki's attention, if I remember correctly."

"The one and the same, captain," Tetsuzaemon answered. "Well, continuing with this line of thought, our last main threat was from Usaitar; Ratiasu's twin brother. He separated his sword into a human form, who was sent to masquerade as Hisaigo, who we came to look at as the Head Captain."

Sajin looked shocked. "So, Kiyomi was not the direct successor to Yamamoto?" he asked.

"Um, no captain," Tetsuzaemon stated solemnly, "we thought that Hisaigo was right for the job, as he seemed to be both powerful and had a sense of honour, when we decided. Unfortunately, things don't always turn out well."

"Well said, Tetsuzaemon," Sajin complimented. He then sighed. "Though please, no more. Catch me up to date tomorrow so that I can rest tonight, would you?"

Tetsuzaemon stood up quickly. "Yes, captain!" he saluted and then left. Sajin sighed again, turning over on his mattress.

"So much has changed since I was last here," he said to himself. "Maybe things would have gone better if I had stayed here, and not played the fool to those vile arrancar tricks..." he trailed off, "or my own feelings of revenge."

* * *

In Hueco Mundo, a garganta suddenly opened. Three figures blurred through the garganta, running quickly across the desert. The three stealth force members flash-stepped lightly but extremely quickly, obviously being well-trained in reconnaissance. They noticed a ring of obelisks coming closer, surrounding a giant rock spire. They decided to scout it out, the formation being too suspicious to do otherwise.

As they crept silently around, listening and looking for any signs of life, they did not find anything. The stone formation was deserted. They looked at each other, confused. They had scouted this area many times before, and they had not come across this before.

Suddenly, the sound of sonido was heard, and Matthew Richardson appeared behind one of them. His jawbone around his shoulder started to lengthen into the snake, which covered the whole of his arm. The snake reared its head and sank its fangs into one of the stealth forces' necks. He screamed in pain, and as his comrades ran up to him to help, three other figures appeared out of nowhere.

Kaede stood opposite another of the comrades. "So, looks like you're scouting out huh?" she laughed, a sadistic smile crossing her face. She held her hand out, whilst bone started to form on the left half of her face. "Now feel the wrath of my cero!" she screamed, blasting a cero from her palm, which instantly vaporised her opponent.

Matthew stopped his snake from biting into his victim's neck. He looked over at Kaede. "Damn visored, showing off her powers," he growled. "I could do that when I was just formed, and I didn't get any credit!"

Maya was busy floating above the third scout, but still had the time to answer Matthew's comment. "Well Mat, it was a painful process to go through to be hollowified so Maya thinks that Kaede should have all the credit that Kaede wants!" she cheered, easily dodging all attacks from the scout. She eventually floated higher, yawning. "Maya's bored now, so Maya will finish you, alright?"

She disappeared suddenly, reappearing behind the scout, slashing into his back with a blade that fell from her sleeve. She then instantly disappeared again, reappearing once again in front of the scout. "Hmm, Maya was too slow," she mused. "Maya'll have to go faster then! Yay!"

To the scout, she just stood still in front of him, but in reality she had already slashed him so many times, that he had bled to death before he had realised. She then walked up to him and ripped his head off, blood spurting from the arteries that were now visible. She walked up to Kenji, who was seated on his throne, and threw the head at him.

"Here's a present, Ken!" she exclaimed. "Maya thought you'd like it!" Kenji caught it and looked at it, disgusted. A smile then crept its way across his face.

"Thank you Maya," he laughed, coldly. "This will do well to instil fear into the hearts of Soul Society!"

Kaede's mask fell from her face, her expression becoming more humane. "Well," she coughed. "That was interesting." Matthew didn't listen, his snake-arm was busy feeding from the scout's flesh and soul. Kenji looked upon the army he had created and laughed again.

"Now, my peers," he said. "This time is our time! The destruction of Soul Society is our prize!" he yelled. He turned to Matthew. "Open the garganta!" he ordered. Matthew obeyed, leaving the dead scout to rot as he started forming the garaganta.

* * *

It was morning the next day, and all captains, minus Sajin and Toshiro, had gathered at Squad 1 HQ, and were discussing anything that they had come up with.

"Well, I found that there was a green substance on one of the victims," Mayuri explained. "And on further research, I found it to be a type of venom that doubles as an acid, used by certain reptiles. And then there were the marks I found on the body of another victim, which appeared to be bite marks, made by a reptile, although it is hard to distinguish what type." He paused for breath. "And therefore I can conclude the arrancar we are looking for has indeed possession of reptilian powers, much like Sajin explained to you beforehand, Captain Seiryoku."

Jushiro continued on a different topic. "I have looked up for a mod soul by the name 'Maya' and unfortunately I could not find much," he said. "It appears our records only document the serial numbers and not the names that the mod souls give themselves. In the future, I think it would be smarter to document both."

Kiyomi sighed. "Alright, at least we know the powers of the arrancar, at least," she said. "And that idea for the names will be duly noted, thank you Jushiro." Jushiro bowed slightly.

"We found a couple of hits on this 'Ken' person that the mod soul was talking about," Crystal started. "Although, most died in battle with hollows or succumbed to old age."

Raven continued. "Although we found 3 possibilities: Kenji Ito, Kentaro Fujiwara and Kentaro Amane. All have reasons to have personal issues with Soul Society, although one – Amane – is presumed to be long dead."

Jushiro interrupted. "I remember Kentaro Fujiwara," he said. "And I happen to know that when he was found to have killed his own squad members, he was quickly and decisively disposed of. It was made hushed and may have not been recorded, but it did happen."

Kiyomi sighed in relief. "Well that means we've actually narrowed this down to one person," she said. "So now, what we need to do it formulate a counterattack to anything that he may do, if he does indeed attack us, which seems extremely likely."

"We read up on his history," Raven answered. "And Kenji Ito wasn't the strongest guy around. He was a 3rd seat, but I doubt he is powerful enough to take down Soul Society."

"But with acquaintances, I'm sure he'll pose a threat," Byakuya argued. "You may remember that Usaitar used Hisaigo to team up on us, and was stronger than if he were to have attacked us outright. With Hisaigo posing as the Head Captain, we didn't see his betrayal coming, and so Usaitar was able to trick us once again."

Kenpachi scowled. "I see all of your points, but why can't I just storm Hueco Mundo and take out anything and everything I see there?" he asked.

"That would get us nowhere, Kenpachi," Soifon answered, bluntly. "It would just allow you to get a kick out of fighting anything that came your way."

"And what's wrong with that?" he smirked in response. "Maybe they'll be put off by a surprise attack and then after I'm finished with 'em you lot can clear up the mess."

Kiyomi interrupted them before Soifon could answer. "Can we focus on what's at hand, people?" she yelled, putting everyone onto attention again. She again sighed. "Well, at least we have an idea that Kenji Ito is our enemy, and that he has at least a mod soul and an arrancar working with him."

Suddenly, the ceiling was ripped off of the meeting room, and a strong breeze blew in, chilling everyone to the bone. A cold laugh was heard, and the form of Kenji appeared above them.

"You are indeed correct, captains of the Gotei 13," he laughed. "I am Kenji Ito, and I have under my hire an arrancar and a mod soul." He looked at Mayuri. "And even a visored."

Mayuri's eyes widened at this news. "I knew you'd like to hear that!" Kenji laughed, seeing Mayuri's expression.

"Well, there's nothing else left to say except: find me and my colleagues! We are scattered around Soul Society just waiting to fight you, and destroying your people as I speak," he said, no expression in his voice. "Oh, and also, have this back!"

With that, he threw the head of the scout down into the middle of the room. Soifon glared as she recognised it. Crystal put her hands over her mouth in disgust. Mayuri looked on curious whilst Kenpachi was totally fixated on Kenji.

"So, sayonara until we fight!" Kanji concluded, jumping into the air and flash-stepping away.

Kiyomi's eyes had darkened over. She quickly raised her head. "Everybody now, we are under attack! I permit use of excessive force, just save Soul Society!" she ordered.

Everybody nodded her way and flash-stepped out of the room, ready to do battle with the intruders.

* * *

_And now starts the unwavering action. Anxiety and tension has built up to this moment. Also, thanks for the fairly large rise in views, I think it broke this story's record this week. Anyway, review, if you could - since I still don't know what many of you think._

_**Next chapter: **Soul Society is under attack, and so each go their own ways to stopping this threat. Byakuya, Jushiro, Renji and Rukia head out as a group to meet Matthew and a new companion of his, who seems to be almost as demented as Matthew himself. Read on next time, in 'Unfriendly Welcoming Party'._


	7. Unfriendly Welcoming Party

**Chapter 6 – Unfriendly Welcoming Party**

Byakuya and Jushiro had flash-stepped towards the west gate, sensing a major spiritual energy there. Both had focus on their faces, ready for whatever they came across.

"Renji, catch up will you?" Byakuya asked, to no-one in particular. Renji quickly appeared flash-stepping in Byakuya's wake.

"How'd you guess, captain?" Renji asked sarcastically. "So what the hell is happening around here? I've sensed some major spiritual pressures around Soul Society all of a sudden."

"We have had an invasion, Renji," Byakuya answered. "The one who slaughtered the academy is back, but with a few friends."

Renji growled. "Well then, I'll be behind you 100% captain," Renji stated. Jushiro looked behind himself as this was going on.

"Rukia, you can show yourself now," he yelled out. "I know you're there. We can all sense you."

Rukia appeared behind Jushiro, worried. "Captain, is all of this true?" she asked. "Are we being invaded by arrancar?"

"Well, part of it is true," Jushiro explained. "There is also a mod soul involved in this invasion, and a soul reaper, who orchestrated this whole thing. He also mentioned about a visored that he recruited."

"Dammit," Renji cursed. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Why are being so slow?" He looked at Byakuya's glare. "No offense captain."

Jushiro responded. "We're going as fast as I can, and that isn't good," he explained, turning to Byakuya. "You two go on ahead, and we will catch up."

Byakuya nodded, motioning to Renji to follow him. Rukia glanced at Renji and mouthed the words 'Be careful' to him. Renji nodded to her and followed Byakuya at speed.

* * *

Matthew was enjoying himself greatly. He currently had his snake's jaws wrapped around a soul reaper's neck, his victim begging for mercy. He laughed manically, as the jaw's grasp firmly tightened, ripping the soul reaper's head clean from his neck.

The serpent retreated, and Matthew walked over to the gate in front of him. "Well, this will be an iconic place to open a garganta!" he laughed. "They'll talk about this in arrancar history books – The Great Storming from the West Garganta of Soul Society!"

He began opening the garganta, it becoming wider by the second. Suddenly, two bursts of spiritual pressure erupted behind him. He turned to look back, and saw Byakuya and Renji glaring at him. They looked to be ready to fight him, but the garganta finally opened to full capacity, and a stream of hollows flooded through the garganta; so many in fact, that Byakuya and Renji had to jump out of the way onto a nearby roof.

Matthew turned to clearly see his new enemies, and glared when he recognised Byakuya. "Captain Kuchiki? What a surprise!" he yelled. "I'll enjoy destroying you, and your pathetic lieutenant too!"

Matthew quickly disappeared, and as Byakuya and Renji looked around for him, he appeared on one of the hollows' backs. He then jumped vertically to meet Renji on his roof, knocking him back a couple of feet with a swift kick. He then raised his arm to form a cero, but Byakuya quickly read this and knocked Matthew's arm to point at some of the hollows running past them, destroying a few in the process.

Matthew growled. "You force me to kill my kind? How sickening..." he accused. "How about I kill your kind to make up for it then?" he said, smirking maniacally. He drew his sword and rushed at Byakuya, who easily dodged all strikes from Matthew's sword, until they came to a rest on two parallel rooftops. They stared at each other, before Byakuya raised his sword into an upright position.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura," he whispered. His blade dissolved into the small, pink petals. They surrounded him, awaiting his command. He pointed at Matthew, who was just staring at Byakuya, curiously. The blades moved swiftly to attack Matthew, who noticed the oncoming threat and leapt out of the way to another rooftop, where he was met by Renji.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji yelled, his hand moving down his blade, and under it his blade extended into its shikai. He then sliced downwards, and Zabimaru extended to exaggerate the slice, forcing Matthew to raise his sword in defence.

Matthew looked both in forward and back, seeing he was surrounded. "Ganging up on me?" he asked, faking a sad tone. "That's a bit mean, don't you think?"

* * *

Jushiro and Rukia both leapt great distances to try and catch up to Byakuya and Renji, but their efforts were only gradually getting them there, instead of the 'now' they needed. They were thinking of flash-stepping slightly quicker, until they heard a sudden rumbling ahead of them.

Rukia looked worriedly at Jushiro, who glared ahead of them, knowing what was coming. A few dozen hollows clawed at the walls of buildings as they raced through the streets, heading towards them. Both of them stopped to face the threat head on.

"Rukia, Captain Kuchiki and Renji will have to wait," Jushiro started. "We have a more pressing matter at hand, it seems."

"Yes captain," Rukia answered, glaring at the oncoming hollows. She drew her sword and ran at them, her sword brandished high. She slashed at one as it ran quickly to attack her, beheading it in one slice. The other behind it screamed and slowed down, to attempt to surround Rukia. She glared again as they encircled her, until a sword shot through the front of the hollow on her near left. The hollow disintegrated, and Jushiro ran into the middle of the circle to aid her.

"I'm here to aid you, remember that Rukia," he said, watching the hollows' every moves. "Now, shall we take care of these monsters, or shall I have to do all the work?"

"Yes captain!" Rukia answered, standing to attention and jumping to slash down on the nearest hollow.

* * *

Matthew jumped high into the sky, hidden by the sun's light. Byakuya and Renji strained to see him, but they were blinded by the extreme light coming from the sun. Matthew quickly used sonido to appear behind Byakuya, and slashed with his sword, but Byakuya sensed this and the pink petal blades flew over to block for him. Renji took this time to locate Matthew and swung with his sword, it extending to exert more force on Matthew, who blocked but was thrown back a few feet.

"And that's payback for before," Renji yelled. "Now, let's see how you like this!" He raised his sword and swung it again, it extending and falling on Matthew, who blocked. Then the sword twisted around and attacked from the side, taking Matthew by surprise. The blade slashed across his abdomen, causing blood to cover his entire front. He used sonido to appear on a rooftop further away.

"Damn it all!" he cursed. "What type of attack was that?!" he asked, obviously in a bad mood.

"That was my sword, Zabimaru, you fool!" Renji yelled back, in triumph. "It is allowed three attacks whilst being extended before I need to call it back for another barrage of attacks, and you just got cut by its second attack."

Matthew laughed maniacally. "I see!" he smirked. "Well then, how about this?" He convulsed once or twice, apparently loosening himself up. He then stretched out, his skin ripping. When his arms were free, he pulled at his old skin to rip it off, and then threw it away into the wind. He dusted himself off as Byakuya and Renji looked on disgusted.

"What do you think?" he laughed. "It's new skin! I just shed my damaged skin, and I instantly heal myself!" He pointed at his abdomen, where the cut had completely disappeared. "Like a snake sheds its skin when it grows too small or gets too damaged, so can I! Reptilian powers, remember?"

Byakuya sighed. "I indeed seem to remember something that Former-Captain Uera said about your powers, and how they were derived from a snake's," he mused. "I didn't actually care however, as you were too pathetic to even behold my presence."

"You could have given me some warning, captain," Renji said, apparently annoyed that Matthew had healed so quickly. "I mean, that's a pretty important thing to leave out."

"No matter, Renji," Byakuya replied, calmly. "He will still fall. Our combined efforts will destroy him easily, whether he has a resurrection or not."

Matthew looked annoyed as they talked. "Hey!" he yelled. "Are we at a meeting or are we in a fight? Come on!" He readied his sword, as Byakuya and Renji looked on, shocked at his remark.

"Fine, if that's how you want it," Renji started. "Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru!" His sword slowly disappeared from the hilt. A cloak appeared over him, and from his hilt something else appeared. A giant snake made from bone, which roared at Matthew. Matthew looked on in amazement, but hissed back at the bone-snake.

"Come at me then!" Matthew yelled, a smile growing on his face, as the hollows quickly subsided from exiting the garganta, and instead a shadowed figure quickly leapt through, following the hollows' path.

* * *

Rukia and Jushiro jumped and evaded every attack the hollows threw at them, returning claw attacks with sword swipes, and returning ceros with kido. Eventually, as more and more hollows showed up, Rukia started to get fed up.

"Captain," she said, confidently. "Please retreat to a safe distance." Jushiro looked at her, then nodded, jumping up to a rooftop to stay out of the way.

The hollows quickly surrounded her, chuckling to themselves at how much of an easy prey she was. Rukia smiled and span her sword around twice. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she yelled, her sword's blade turning completely white, and a long white ribbon emitting from the pommel.

She then held it pointing downwards, as the hollows crept closer to her. She smiled as she yelled "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" A large circle of ice appeared under her, and the hollows felt themselves being trapped. She smiled as they all slowly started to freeze over. When their screams eventually subsided, she held her sword side-on and flash-stepped quickly past them all, slicing as she went. As she met Jushiro on the rooftop, all the frozen bodies fell apart and shattered, leaving not one hollow alive.

"Not bad, Rukia," Jushiro complimented her. "It seems it is more beautiful than the last time I saw it."

"Thank you captain," Rukia answered, inwardly pleased. "But I think now we should go to help Renji and Captain-" but she was cut off as a strong spiritual pressure arrived.

"Hey there, people!" a female voice echoed. "I got a call from a real close friend of mine to come along and have some fun! So, is this where the party is?"

A slim, blonde female slowly walked towards them. She had remnants of a hollow mask on her left cheek, forming a teardrop shape, and over her right eye, making a sun shape. She had light green eyes, but they were full of malice. She giggled evilly, then unsheathed her sword.

"Matthew will be ever so thankful when I rid this place of nuisances like you two!" she giggled again, raising her sword up in an aggressive stance. "Who's gonna take me on first?"

Rukia stood forward. "I will be your opponent," she said, boldly. She also took an aggressive stance. "What is your name, may I ask?"

The arrancar looked sheepishly at her. "Oops, forgot to introduce myself," she giggled. "Just call me Kotomi, okay? And you are?"

"If we are on a first name basis only, just call me Rukia," Rukia answered. "Now, shall we start?"

"Let's start then!" Kotomi giggled evilly. She used sonido to get an early head-start, and appeared on a roof above Rukia, who glared at her as she lifted her sword into the air. Clouds gathered above where Kotomi's sword was pointed, and she grew a deranged smile on her face.

"Alright then," she laughed. "Whip up a storm, Reina de la Clima!" The clouds gathered around in a circular pattern and flew down, twisting around her sword and enveloping her. As the clouds cleared, they saw that her arrancar clothes had transformed into white swimsuit-like clothing. They could now see that her hollow hole was on her abdomen because of this. The ends of her legs however, ended in clouds of gas, and she was hovering in mid-air. Her sword had transformed into a small windmill-like weapon based on her hilt, with each rotary blade of it being a sword blade.

She giggled once more. "Like what you see, Rukia?" she asked. "Cute, ain't I?" She giggled again, then dispersed into the air. She reformed behind Rukia, who sensed this and readied an ice attack, but suddenly a blast of heat erupted from the windmill weapon, melting Rukia's attack. Then a gust of wind erupted from Kotomi's weapon, blasting Rukia back into a wall, creating a large impact-crater.

"Rukia!" Jushiro yelled, starting to run to her aid. Kotomi suddenly appeared in front of him, however, and threw him into the opposite wall with a blast of wind, giggling as he hit it.

* * *

Hihio Zabimaru's snake head lunged at Matthew, who quickly dodged, until a barrage of petals attacked him from the opposite side. He got cut at the edges of his arms and legs, so fell down to another rooftop, running and dodging at the same time. As he got to the end of the roof, he leapt into the air and quickly used sonido, as both the snake head and the petal blades smashed into where he previously was.

He appeared behind Byakuya, sword ready to stab at him. The petal blades easily blocked and pushed Matthew back a few feet, yet again. Matthew grinned wide, and held his sword horizontally in front of him.

"Well, it looks like Soul Society will finally learn my new resurrection!" he laughed. Byakuya and Renji stared at him, curiously.

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya said flatly. "Resurrections are the sword version of arrancars' previous hollow powers, so you will always have the same resurrection, no matter what."

"Wrong!" Matthew yelled, smirking. "For years after Usaitar was beaten, I was forced to feed on hollows, people and stray soul reapers for sustenance, and eventually, I found that my resurrection was getting stronger. I thought that if I could consume enough souls, I would be invincible!"

Byakuya and Renji looked on, sceptical. Matthew's face fell as he saw their expressions. "What don't believe me? Let me show you! Rip my enemies to shreds, Rey del Reptils!" His sword twisted into a serpentine shape and slithered down his arm, ending up wound around it. His body grew slightly, and a long silver tail and silver wings sprouted from his back. His skin turned a silver colour also, and the snake enveloped his arm once again, but this time much larger and looked to have a mind of its own this time around.

"What is this?" Renji asked, stunned. He quickly snapped back and rushed for Matthew, making the bone-snake charge at Matthew also. Matthew smirked as he charged, and with one flick of his snake's tongue, the roof underneath Renji's feet collapsed, sending him falling through and getting trapped under rubble.

Byakuya looked at Matthew's new form. "You may have had a make-over, but you still hold nothing to me, arrancar," he taunted. "I mean, you apparently have no control over that serpent of yours, much like Renji doesn't have much control over his Hihio Zabimaru, in spite of what he wants to believe."

"You seem to know your stuff, Captain Kuchiki, but you are wrong about me," Matthew answered. "This serpent is truly under my control, even if it does have a mind of its own. Allow me to demonstrate." The snake faced Byakuya quickly and flew forward, ramming into a wall ad Byakuya dodged. Matthew, meanwhile, had run up to where Byakuya dodged to and slashed with his claw, tearing Byakuya's haori. The snake then regained its composure and leapt at Byakuya again, taking him down and forcing him to the floor, where he strained under the weight.

* * *

Kotomi giggled yet again, swinging her windmill-like weapon around like it was a toy. "This is fun, guys," she giggled. "We should meet up like this more often!"

She was interrupted by the faint sound of footsteps, and then a sword shooting out of nowhere and slicing at her. She held her arm up, which dispersed when it was sliced and reformed afterwards. The soul reaper stood opposite her, glaring.

"I am Shuhei Hisagi, lieutenant of Squad 9, and you are not welcome here!" Shuehi yelled. Jushiro looked up and smiled as he saw Shuhei.

"Did Captain Kyoraku send you, Shuhei?" Jushiro asked, standing up slowly. Shuhei nodded back and stood in an aggressive stance towards Kotomi. She giggled in response, swinging her weapon, creating a large gust of wind. Shuhei easily dodged, and Jushiro went to fetch Rukia before flash-stepping to the rooftops and resting her down.

"Not bad, arrancar," Shuhei admitted. "But you haven't seen my power yet." He brandished his sword in front of him. "Reap, Kazeshini!" he yelled. The sword split into two scythe-like weapons connected by a long chain, which Shuehi took a pose with.

"You seem to use wind, and are apparently made of clouds," he noted. "Well I can control wind too." He threw one of the blades, which span like a saw, and span into Kotomi's right leg, dispersing it, but it reformed a second later. Kotomi stopped giggling now, and took notice of Shuhei. She glared at him, and then smiled, much like Matthew.

"So, you have some sort of wind based zanpakuto then? Interesting..." she mused. "Although it will fail you in the end, as I can control the climate of the world!"

"Huh, so that's your power," Shuhei thought aloud. "That's an interesting ability, but I doubt you have the skill or knowledge to use it to the maximum amount possible."

Kotomi growled at this. "Let's find out, huh?" she yelled, floating towards Shuhei, who just stood still. As she came closer, Shuehei dodged quickly, and then threw one of his blades. It flew through and blew away part of Kotomi's body, and she turned to attack again. The blade, however, came back of its own accord, slicing through her body again, dispersing her for a second before reforming yet again.

Jushiro looked on in thought. "Interesting," he said to himself. "It seems that when she knows an attack is coming, or if she is concentrating hard enough when a surprise attack is coming, she can allow herself to fall apart before reconstituting effortlessly. But if she was to be knocked out, or her focus is taken away..." he mused. "Aha! I've got it!"

He ran over to the edge of the roof and pointed his hand at Kotomi. "Hado 33, Soukatsui!" he yelled, a blue blast emitting from it and heading for Kotomi, who noticed but a fraction of a second too late. It blasted her to the opposite wall, and she fell to the floor, struggling to get up.

"Now, Shuhei!" Jushiro yelled down. "She has little focus on avoiding attacks, so you should be able to cut her!"

Shuhei nodded in understanding and threw one of his blades at her, spinning wildly and making contact with her abdomen. It cut and ripped into her, spewing blood over the ground where she kneeled. The blade lodged itself into the wall, allowing little movement for Kotomi as she continued to bleed.

Shuhei walked up to her, looking at her pitifully. Kotomi looked up into his eyes, with a psychotic glare embedded in hers.

"Kill me then!" she yelled. "If you want peace in Soul Society, kill me! I promise I'll be a good girl while you do it. Come on, where's your pride as a warrior?"

"I don't enjoy the unnecessary killing of others, in spite of the shape of my shikai," Shuhei answered. "But if you wish, I shall make your demise less painful." He raised his other blade, ready to slice into her throat.

"I had fun, Matthew, thanks!" she screamed, as the blade swung down and slit her throat, blood literally falling from the wound, staining the ground.

"Rest peacefully then, arrancar," Shuehei said solemly, walking away.

* * *

Byakuya strained under the snake's jaw forcing him into the ground. He quickly flash-stepped to escape, but the snake followed him and attempted to crush him once again. Matthew had flown up to the roof level to meet Byakuya, but Byakuya sent a wave of petal blades at him, sending him back into a wall.

The snake followed quickly, knocking Byakuya into another wall, but Byakuya just as quickly flash-stepped just before the collision. Byakuya appeared on another rooftop, and reformed his sword, pointing it downwards.

He dropped it, it melding into the roof. "Bankai," Byakuya said slowly. Two rows of blades rose up on either side of him. "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The blades scattered into the mass of petals again, encircling Byakuya, Matthew and the large snake quite easily.

Matthew looked on in awe, the snake being dazed too. Byakuya lifted his arm, and grasped his hand tightly together. "Gokei," he said, slowly.

Many large blades formed around the snake in a sphere, and launched into it. As they skewered the snake, Matthew screamed in agony. The blades disappeared and the snake was left broken and torn, being left to slither back into the jaw around Matthew's shoulder.

"Shit," Matthew exclaimed, panting for breath. "That was unexpected, and extremely powerful to boot. I don't think I can beat it that easily."

"Of course you cannot beat me, arrancar," Byakuya taunted again. "This is what I have been telling you all this time. You are nothing, whereas I am one of the elite of Soul Society. I have to admit that your resurrection is stronger than I seem to remember Former-Captain Uera describing, but it was nothing special."

"Well, let me show you the real extents of my resurrection's abilities, hmm?" Matthew said, a hint of joy in his voice, as he readied his claws to attack. Suddenly, a giant garganta appeared behind him and sucked him in, without a word of warning.

Byakuya looked on confused. He deactivated his bankai, sighing. He slowly walked over to the collapsed roof to see if Renji was incapacitated still.

"Renji, the arrancar is gone, and there are still hollows in Soul Society, so hurry up and get out of that mess," he ordered.

Renji struggled out of the rubble, grasping the back of his head. "What happened captain? Where did the arrancar go?"

"He seems to have been called back by his leader, if I could guess anything," Byakuya replied, walking away to the way they originally came.

* * *

_Well, it seems the big battles have started, and just exactly where did Matthew get dragged off to? To find out, you'll have to wait a couple of chapters, but before all that, there's going to be another couple of (self-described) cool action chapters._

_**Next chapter:** We finally get to see the mod soul, Maya, in action, as she takes on one of our captains. However, both Kenpachi and Mayuri want to fight an intruder for different reasons, so find out who does next time, in 'Playground Of Horrors'._


	8. Playground Of Horrors

**Chapter 7 – Playground Of Horrors**

Whilst Byakuya and Jushiro flash-stepped off to the western gate, Kenpachi had flash-stepped off to the eastern gate, where he sensed a large spiritual pressure. As soon as he had started to go, Ikkaku and Yumichiki joined him, bringing Yachiru, who was clinging onto Ikkaku's head.

"Captain, we're here to have some fun!" Ikkaku explained. "We felt some really powerful spiritual energy in Soul Society, so everyone's on alert."

Yumichika nodded. "Every lieutenant and high-ranking squad member is out scouting the whole of Soul Society, looking for the intruders, and we thought we could help you out, Captain."

Kenpachi laughed. "Alright then, let's find these guys and rough 'em up a bit, huh?" Yachiru cheered and jumped onto Kenpachi's back as he finished ordering them. They then heard a scuffle of shoe on ground behind them and saw Mayuri running after them, followed by Nemu, at his side.

"What are you doing here, Kurotsuchi?" Kenpachi yelled back at him. Mayuri just looked ahead, focused on getting to his destination. He motioned to Nemu to speak for him.

"My captain and I are running to the Eastern Gate, where we recorded an extremely powerful spiritual energy resonating from on our instruments," Nemu explained. "So, if you do not mind, I ask for space through this passage so that we can find our expected destination."

Kenpachi's face fell. "No way, Kurotsuchi, this is our fight that we're travelling to," he yelled. "Get your own victims."

Mayuri laughed slightly at that comment. "What do you think I'm going there for, idiot?" he asked. "I'm going there to get my next experimental subject."

"Kenny, which way are we going, huh?" Yachiru asked, suddenly, as a junction came up ahead of them. The junction led off two ways, splitting at 45 degree angles.

"Alright, Yachiru, choose which way we go, and which way Ikkaku and Yumichika go, will you?" Kenpachi said, annoyed that he didn't know which way to go.

Yachiru put her hand to her chin and thought for a moment. "Kenny and me'll go that way!" she pointed to the left. "And you two go that way!" she pointed to the right.

Ikkaku and Yumichika nodded after Kenpachi ordered them to follow her orders, and they split up, heading down each path. Mayuri and Nemu stopped at the junction, and Mayuri removed one of his instruments from his haori.

"Hmm, it seems that Zaraki has messed up again in finding his way around Soul Society, because my measurements show that our enemy is the down the right path," he muttered. "Nemu, let's go!" he ordered, and Nemu followed him down the path which Yumichika and Ikkaku took.

* * *

Maya was dusting off her black 'gothic-lolita' style dress, and smoothing her long black hair down with her hands after having fallen through the garganta that had let her arrive at her destination.

"Aw, but Maya just cleaned Maya's outfit to make Ken's victory all the more awesomer!" she pouted. She gradually got up and finished dusting herself off, just as Ikkaku and Yumichika arrived.

"Looks like Yachiru was right," Yumichika said to himself. "Well, sort of, if you count the fact that she and the captain wanted to face this girl."

"Let's forget about that fact and destroy this intruder, huh, Yumichika?" Ikkaku said to him, then turned to Maya, who looked on confused.

"Who're you two losers?" Maya asked, curious. "Maya wants herself a captain to fight, not two weedy little idiots."

Ikkaku instantly exploded. "How dare you insult me, girl!" he yelled in rage. "I'll have you know that I'm the 3rd seat of Squad 11, under the legendary Kenpachi Zaraki!"

Yumichika tried to hold Ikkaku back. "Calm down, Ikkaku," he whispered. "You don't want her making an idiot out of you, do you?"

Ikkaku seemed to calm down after those words. "Fine, let's just take her out like any other opponent."

Maya crossed her arms and turned away. "No way!" she yelled. "Maya wants a captain to fight, and that's that."

A voice echoed throughout the area at that moment. "I think I can remedy that for you," the chilling voice laughed.

Mayuri slowly walked out of the shadows that surrounded the path to the area, followed by Nemu right behind him. "I will gladly be your opponent, if you wish," he continued. "I am Captain of Squad 12, Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

Maya turned back and smiled wide. "You're a real-life captain? Yay! Maya can waste you now!" she yelled playfully.

She then jumped into the air and disappeared instantly. All four opponents looked around confused, and then jumped away instantly as a large portal appeared on the ground.

Mayuri landed on a near-by roof, and studied the portal that had appeared. "Hmm, obviously not a garganta, but not anything of Soul Society's creation either..." he mused. "It appears that this girl has some kind of dimensional capabilities, perhaps even a total grasp on space and time."

Maya giggled and her voice echoed throughout the area. "Not bad Mr. Captain, not bad at all," she laughed. "Maya has really awesome powers that allow Maya to do things like this!" She instantly reappeared again, over Mayuri's head, and kicked him hard, sending him flying onto the adjoining roof.

Ikkaku and Yumichika looked on in shock on another roof. "Shit," Ikkaku stared. "That girl just took out Captain Kurotsuchi in one kick!" Yumichika nodded in agreement, but didn't dare utter a word.

Nemu looked over to her captain, and then ran at Maya swiftly. She jumped high into the air and kicked Maya squarely in her temple, sending Maya flying down into the portal below. As she touched the portal, she instantly dissolved, reintegrating behind Nemu, and jumping off of her back to back-flip into a battle stance.

"How'd you like that, huh?" Maya asked, smiling. "That was pretty weak compared to what else Maya can do, but Maya didn't really want to release all of Maya's power against a lieutenant-level opponent like you."

Nemu also took a battle stance. "I really do not think that you should speak so lowly about me," she replied. "I am much stronger than I let on, because my captain made me that way."

"Oh, so you're like Maya?!" Maya asked, smiling. "Maya's a mod soul, are you? Maya could be your friend and go shopping or something! Yay!"

"I am no mod soul, girl," Nemu answered, flatly. "I am a soul created by my father's combination of mod soul and gigai development, and I am his greatest work, so do not discredit my abilities."

"Nemu, do not fight my battles for me, I've already told you this many times," Mayuri yelled, standing up. "Why can't you get it into your head that you should not do anything until I tell you to?"

Nemu sunk back to Mayuri's side, obviously disheartened by his put-down. Mayuri dusted himself off and looked Maya straight in the eye. He laughed as Maya just looked at him, puzzled.

"This girl is nothing more than her cover, a small child," he taunted. "She has no actual way of knowing what power she holds, but because it allows her to do things she considers 'fun', she uses it frequently and moderately well on a basic level."

Maya pouted. "You're mean!" she argued. "Maya knows what she's capable of!" She jumped high into the air again, and disappeared instantly. She reappeared behind Mayuri, and motioned to kick him in the back of the head, but Nemu leapt into the kick's path, taking it into her abdomen. Nemu recoiled in pain and fell to the floor, whilst Mayuri turned around with a nonchalant look on his face.

"Nemu, you fool, you got hurt," Mayuri said to her, darkly. Nemu looked up at Mayuri, straining under the pain.

"I am sorry, captain, I will do better next time," she answered weakly. Maya looked over the situation perplexed, and annoyed that she had missed her target.

"Maya doesn't like it when she misses!" Maya yelled, at a high pitch. "Now Maya's gonna have some fun with you guys over there!" She pointed at Ikkaku and Yumichika, who both widened their eyes instantly as she disappeared yet again.

"Shit!" Ikkaku yelled, unsheathing his sword. Yumichika did the same. They stood back to back waiting for any sign of Maya coming to attack them. No sign came, however, and Ikkaku sighed in relief, whilst Yumichika narrowed his eyes, cautious.

Mayuri unsheathed his sword. "I know that you are on the roof to the right of me, little girl, so please show yourself so that I can kill you easier," he shouted out to the emptiness of the roof. Maya suddenly blurred into vision, pouting yet again.

"No fair, no fair, no fair!" she yelled, annoyed. She then stood still, inhaling deeply. Suddenly, three 'copies' of Maya blurred into vision next to her, and all charged for Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Ikkaku growled. "I've had enough of this! Extend, Hozukimaru!" he yelled, slamming his sword's hilt and his sheath together, forming his naginata. He swung his spear sideways, in the oncoming direction of the three 'Mayas', before yelling "Split apart!" His naginata lengthened out even more as it separated into a three-sectioned staff, which curved round, striking all of the 'Mayas' at once, slicing them backwards and making them bleed.

They disappeared as fast as they appeared, and Maya fell forwards on her roof, holding her stomach. "Hey! How did you do that? And so many times too..." she yelled, in a mood. She removed her hand, showing multiple slices on her abdomen, which started to heal quickly.

Mayuri's eyes widened. "Ah, so it seems I was correct," he chuckled. "You have time bending powers, allowing you to travel into the future to attack your opponent whilst you are also attacking your opponent at that time. That is a theoretical explanation only, as it has never been proved to work, but you actually went into the future three times to the same point, and attacked the same person with all three of your 'time-slots'." He looked at the wounds that were slowly healing. "Of course, this created some form of minor paradox because you were injured then, whilst when you travelled originally and came back, you weren't injured, so time had to make up for that paradox by creating wounds on you."

Maya stood up, and dusted herself off. "So, Mr. Captain is smart and has worked out how Maya fights, huh?" she muttered, suddenly dropping her childish demeanour. "That won't help you though, when Maya releases her full potential!"

Yumichika was shocked. "How did she heal herself so quickly? There has to be some sort of trick involved in that!"

Mayuri chuckled. "No trick, idiot," he snapped. "Mod souls have the ability of quick healing, as their bodies aren't truly their own, so their nervous systems are rather number than other beings'."

Maya ran quickly towards Mayuri, who just lifted his sword in retaliation to block. Instead of hitting his sword, however, Nemu yet again intervened and was thrown back a couple of metres, hitting a wall and falling to a lower roof.

"Why do you always get in Maya's way?" Maya yelled, with a shrill voice. Mayuri however just looked at her, studying her spiritual energy more.

He finally snapped out of his trance. "Claw out, Ashisogi Jizo!" he yelled, his sword gaining the appearance of a rather deformed trident coming out of his hilt. "And now I can finish you, you insolent child."

He sliced at Maya, who simply disappeared, reconstituting behind Ikkaku, who turned too late to see the kick that knocked him away onto another roof. Yumichika growled and raised his sword.

"Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" he yelled, his sword blade disappearing and being replaced by four sickle shaped blades fanned out over the hilt. He swiped at Maya, who jumped in the air, giggling evilly, and then appeared behind Mayuri again, ready to kick him. Mayuri, however, raised his right arm to his side horizontally, and it extended out to grab a wall, to which he pulled himself over to.

Maya landed with a shocked expression. "What are you?" she asked, scared. "You scare Maya a lot!"

Mayuri just ignored her, raising his sword to slash down on her. Just at the point of impact, she disappeared, and then flew at Mayuri from behind to kick his back, which sent him onto another roof.

He got up and dusted himself off, yet again. "That was interesting," he mused. "Instead of going to the future that time, you went to the past and hid on top of that roof directly behind me, waiting until this moment to pounce. I must say, for a child your strategies are quite brilliant, as they avert most major paradoxes that could occur under these conditions, whilst still allowing you to battle at multiple overlapping timelines. Still, you are no match for my bankai."

He raised his sword, and started to speak out clearly. "Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!" His sword returned to its normal state, and in an eruption of purple smoke, the baby-headed caterpillar rose up from the ground behind Mayuri. It roared, with purple smoke streaming from its mouth.

"And now, you will know true fear! Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo, destroy her now!" he ordered the caterpillar, and it charged at Maya, who disappeared instantly and reappeared further back on another roof. She then inhaled deeply, and another 'Maya' appeared, who jumped over to Yumichika to continue their fight.

Yumichika was ready for her, but was starting to get worried about the result of this fight. 'Nemu and even Ikkaku are down, Captain Kurotsuchi is already having a fair bit of trouble with one of this girl,' he thought 'and now another one of her is coming my way. I wonder where the captain is, he'd know what to do.'

* * *

Kenpachi, meanwhile, was hitting one dead-end after another. He turned back when he found this one, and ran to the left this time around.

"Yachiru, are you sure you know where you we are going?" he asked. "Because you've never had a good track record with this sort of thing and you did pull me in circles last time."

"I'm sure, Kenny," Yachiru smiled. "Just follow what I say and we'll get there in no time!" Just then, another dead-end came up. "Oh, well, not 'no time' then, but soon!" she added. "Real, real soon!"

"Yeah, how about we just go to a roof and survey this whole place to see if we can see the intruder?" Kenpachi suggested.

"That's an awesome idea, Kenny, let's do it!" Yachiru cheered, as Kenpachi jumped from the ground to the top of a wall, and then up a chain of roofs to the highest point to get a better view.

* * *

Yumichika blocked with his sword, but only just, as Maya came in for another attack with her right leg, twisting into the kick as she made it. It made contact with Yumichika, forcing him down into the tiles that plated the roof, knocking some off into the giant portal that still consumed the floor.

Maya smiled evilly and opened a small portal in front of her. She punched into it, which opened another up next to Yumichika's head, knocking him a bit, but he regained his composure. He slashed with his sword, but Maya kicked into the small portal, producing a small portal next to Yumichika's leg, and her foot appeared through it, tripping him up onto the roof tiles, smashing them and knocking him out.

Ikkaku finally got up, and surveyed the fight, which got him annoyed. He ran at Maya, who giggled and disappeared, reappearing behind him, kicking him strongly in the back, making him fall to the rooftop, holding his back in pain.

Mayuri was also having a tough time, whenever Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo attacked, Maya dodged and then attacked Mayuri himself, which meant that he could not attack her when she was in close proximity. He growled, and then ordered his bankai to attack her again. Maya again disappeared, but only for an instant, because she reappeared in the same position and still got pushed back a lot by the caterpillar's charge.

"Hmm, it appears that you are running out of energy quickly because you have to maintain that past self of yours over there, and continually phase in and out of our timeline and dimension," Mayuri chuckled. "Not to mention that you have that portal down there still leading to an alternate dimension, I presume. This will get easier as the fight goes on then!"

He went to slash at her as she got too close, but missed, and was then kicked by Maya hard in the back of the neck, knocking him down to his knees.

"Not unless Maya finishes you now, huh?" Maya said sweetly. She raised her index finger, and a red light started to glow at the tip. "The energy Maya uses to open up dimensional rifts and time-slips can also be used as a beam."

She lowered her fingers to Mayuri's back, but Mayuri sensed what was coming and acted quickly. He swept his sword to Maya's face, putting her focus off for a second, and then he stabbed himself, slowly reducing himself to a formless liquid and dissolving his bankai from the area. His voice emanated out as he moved away slowly.

"And now you cannot harm me, nor I can harm you," he laughed. "But it is unfortunate that I cannot take you on as an experimental subject, as you are so unique." With that, he crept out of the way and through some cracks in the rooftop.

Ikkaku stood up again, looking at the Maya in front of him, and the Maya across the area from him, who had just fought Mayuri.

"Well, seeming as though Captain Kurotsuchi is gone now, it looks like you're gonna have some bad luck, kid," he laughed. "Now, bankai! Ryuumon Hozukimaru!"

His staff grew out of normal proportions and finally formed into three giant blades connected by thick chains. His torso was now uncovered, and the dragon symbol on the furthest back blade appeared, showing a gray colour.

"Now you'll see why I am under Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, as I am one of the strongest seats in the whole of Soul Society!" he yelled, smiling.

He jumped into the air, propelled even higher because his blades pushed him off, and landed straight over Maya's head, slashing as he fell. Maya dodged, but the shockwave caught her off guard and she flew through the air and disappeared, dissolving into grains of light.

The other Maya fell down to her knees, holding her head. "Ouch, that gives me a headache!" she cried, childishly. She steadied herself and stood up slowly. She now had marks and scratches all over her body and dress, caused by time's catching up to her.

Ikkaku saw this as his chance and propelled himself forwards using his large blades, slashing down with them once he was in range. Maya dodged quickly, appearing at Ikkaku's side, sliding to a stop. She then jumped and flipped into the air, pointing her index finger down at Ikkaku and releasing a large pulse of red energy, blasting Ikkaku through the rooftop and down into the building below.

Maya landed near the hole that was just created and smiled at the damage she had caused. She then heard a rumbling, and debris flew out of the hole upwards, taking her off guard and making her jump back a few feet. Ikkaku jumped out of the hole, spinning his blades quickly like a whirlwind. When he finally came to a stop, the symbol was now shining crimson in the first quarter, and he looked over at Maya, smiling.

"No way!" Maya yelled. "There's no way you could've survived that, or healed this quickly!"

"Believe what you want, girl, but I'm here to stay!" Ikkaku yelled, his grin widening. "And when I stay in a fight, I fight for my life!" He ran at her at full speed, slashing sideways with his giant blade, which just missed Maya as she jumped backwards and flipped over to another rooftop.

"Maya isn't done with you yet!" she yelled. "Maya's gonna use Maya's very own favourite move!" She raised her hand and opened it towards the large space between them. She clenched her hand tightly, and a large sphere of red energy appeared. "Dimension Eruption!"

The large sphere grew in size still, and got more and more unstable as it grew. It picked up strong gales from its gravity, which attempted to pull both Ikkaku and Maya in, but they both stood their ground.

"This is a super special move that Maya made!" Maya yelled over the sound of the winds. "It makes a really big micro-dimension inside this one, and then Maya causes it to implode on itself, blowing everything up within a 2 mile radius except Maya, who just zaps off to another dimension!"

Ikkaku stared wide-eyed at Maya and the unstable ball of energy that was starting to fall in on itself, and started to think about that 'living to fight another day' saying, and how smart it sounded at this moment.

The sphere slowly got bigger and bigger, so Ikkaku quickly decided to attack Maya to stop it from blowing up, and so propelled himself forward with his blades to slash down at her, who just smiled evilly and disappeared. She then reappeared behind him and kicked him down to the ground below, where the portal didn't reach to, as her energy was now focused on the miniature dimension, so her portal had now shrunk down.

Maya then jumped down and kicked Ikkaku again, but this time through the wall behind him, and through the wall behind that. His bankai faded out of sight, and he groaned as he tried to stand.

Maya walked up to him and giggled evilly as she saw his prone form lying helplessly. "Not bad, Mr. Cue-Ball, but Maya got the best of you!" she laughed. "Now Maya's gonna destroy all of this eastern part, and then Ken's gonna really like Maya, and won't yell at Maya anymore!"

She turned to finish her job of destroying the miniature dimension, when a figure swiftly flash-stepped behind her and picked Ikkaku up. Maya turned quickly to see Nemu, holding Yumichika under her left arm, and Ikkaku now draped over her right shoulder.

"Test-tube Soul Reaper?" Maya thought out loud. "When did you wake up?" she asked.

Nemu was silent and flash-stepped away to Squad 4 HQ. Maya sighed and turned to the unstable dimension. She gripped her fist together tightly, the pressure making the sphere shrink and then exponentially grow in little more than a second.

All buildings surrounding their battleground were demolished in no time at all, and Maya was giggling to herself until a large garganta opened up underneath her and pulled her in quickly.

* * *

"Yachiru, we've ended up at the damn Squad 4's place!" Kenpachi moaned. Yachiru put her hand to her chin and thought for a second.

"Hmm, maybe I went the wrong way at that last stairway Kenny," she pondered. "Either way look! Ikki and Yumi are coming!"

Kenpachi looked up to see Nemu running at them holding both Ikkaku and Yumichika, coming to a stop before them. She set them down in front of Kenpachi, and then bowed.

"I apologise for my actions without consulting you first, but I brought your squad members back, Captain Zaraki," Nemu said, softly. "I apologise for anything that may have happened to them," and with that, she flash-stepped away.

Kenpachi looked down at his two unconscious seated squad members, and his face fell. "The fools are sleeping like babies!" he groaned. "When will they learn to fight until the true end, and not just when they fall unconscious?"

Retsu and Isane walked out of Squad 4's front door, and looked over Ikkaku and Yumichika. Retsu turned to Kenpachi. "Do you mind if Isane and I keep a check over these two here for a while?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Kenpachi answered. "Just don't keep them in if they want to fight some more, y'hear?"

Retsu looked at him. "Are you ordering me on how to take care of my patients?" she asked, her voice lost of the care she usually adds.

Kenpachi sweated slightly. "Oh, never mind," he trailed off, walking away quickly. Yachiru smiled on his shoulder, and when they were far enough away, commented.

"She scared you, didn't she Kenny?" she giggled. Kenpachi's face fell, and he growled.

"No way, Yachiru," he mumbled. "You didn't see anything."

* * *

_And that was the a little taste of the power on Kenji's team. But whilst Byakuya and Renji were fighting with Matthew; Jushiro, Rukia and Shuhei were fighting with Kotomi; and Mayuri, Nemu, Ikkaku and Yumichika were fighting with Maya, who else was battling who?_

_**Next chapter:** We'll find out next chapter, as Raven and Crystal are drawn into a battle which may very well be their most difficult fight yet. The visored Kaede is up next, and she has a secret that she will finally reveal on the battlefield. Check it out in 'Perfect Sync', next week._


	9. Perfect Sync

**Chapter 8 – Perfect Sync**

Raven ran off quickly towards the northern gate, where he sensed an oddly strong spiritual pressure, and Crystal had seen him and ran after him straight away.

"We're a couple, right?" Crystal asked, rhetorically. "So why not go fight together?" She flash-stepped at the same speed as Raven, being slower than her maximum speed as Raven wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Yeah, sure," Raven answered. "But just don't get hurt, alright? That'd really hang over my conscience if I could have stopped it from happening."

"Hey, see, you can show compassion when you need to!" Crystal smiled, her voice taunting Raven.

Raven merely turned to look forwards, then shouted out to no-one. "Izuru, Zeo! Stand to attention!"

Izuru and Zeo quickly appeared out of nowhere, at either side of Raven. "Yes captain," Izuru answered. Zeo merely nodded.

"I should assume that you both know that we have been invaded?" Raven asked, expecting the answer.

"Yes captain," Izuru replied. "All lieutenants and other seated squad members have gone to scout out Soul Society, whilst all other squad members have been ordered to protect each squad's main building."

"Getting a quick check on how many there are," Zeo continued. "Nemu said that there are at least four recognisable intruders, but she said that there could be more."

"Oh, Nemu has spoken to you?" Crystal interrupted, curious. Zeo nodded in reply. "She gave us the readings on Mayuri's instruments about the intruders' spiritual energies, and then ran off to follow Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Who cares if Nemu spoke to you?" Raven said flatly. "What we need to do is think of a way to battle our enemy when we don't know what they're capable of."

"Shuhei!" Crystal suddenly yelled. Shuhei appeared suddenly beside her. "I can sense an overwhelming fluctuation in spiritual energy at the west gate. Seeming as though we have enough people here for a fighting force, if you could go check up over there?"

"Yes, Captain Kyoraku," Shuhei answered, monotonous. He quickly disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"Alright then," Raven muttered. "Get out here, sis!" he yelled, forcing Naomi to appear next to Zeo, looking at her brother in front of her, a smirk on her face.

"So, you can pick up my spiritual energy from anywhere, huh?" she asked, humoured. Raven just growled.

"Will you stop joking around? This is a serious matter!" he snapped. "And of course I can sense you, we have the same resonance of spiritual energy. We're twins, remember?"

"I think Naomi's nicer to talk to, though," Crystal whispered to Izuru and Zeo, who both laughed to themselves.

'Oh great, I get stuck with a bunch of jokers...' Raven thought to himself, annoyed.

* * *

Kaede swept her long brown her out of her face. She groaned as she saw the empty space around her. She dusted her white jacket off and sat down on a nearby rock, waiting for her opponents.

"When Kenji said that we'd be distracting the captains, I thought he meant that they'd be waiting here for our arrival," she said to herself, "y'know, like a welcoming party.

She then swiftly turned to her right, her face becoming darker, and a smirk etching across her face. "What, a welcoming party?" she asked herself, in a noticeably darker voice. "More like a reason to go on a killing spree!"

She quickly snapped back to her usual self, and scolded herself for talking so aggressively. She sat staring at the opening to the barren landscape, waiting for an opponent to appear.

She was starting to get irked, until she felt a giant wave of spiritual pressure increase dramatically. She stood up and readied herself, grasping onto her sword's hilt.

Raven ran through the opening first, stopping a couple of metres in front of Kaede, staring at her. Crystal was next, stopping on Raven's right, and Izuru, Naomi and Zeo appeared and stood on his left.

"Who are you, intruder?" Raven asked, flatly. "I would like to know who I am going to kill before I do it, to at least give you some honour."

Kaede smiled. "Well, aren't you cute?" she teased. Raven growled and Crystal narrowed her eyes. "Hey, what's with the hostility, people?" she defended herself, her hands waving in front of her.

"You are allied with one who wants to destroy Soul Society, so forgive us if we're not all friendly with you," Crystal replied, darkly. "So, are you going to stand there or what?" she added, impatiently.

Kaede laughed. "Come now, dear, don't get bees in your bonnet," she taunted. "I'm just readying myself for one hell of a fight!" she answered, smiling. She quickly snapped her head downwards, looking at the ground, her hair darkening her eyes. "One hell of a fight in which I slay you all and use your carcasses as a totem pole!" she added, in her dark voice.

Raven narrowed his eyes. 'Great, another freak,' he thought, even more annoyed. 'Just what I need.'

Kaede quickly snapped back to her usual self yet again, looking puzzled as her enemies stared at her, quizzically.

"Oh, don't mind that," she said. "If everything goes my way, you won't need to know about it." Inside her head, the dark voice echoed. 'An _'it'_ now, am I?' it growled. 'And what does that make you when I'm in control? I'd like to know that.'

Kaede shook her head again, then unsheathed her sword. "So, who's going first?" she asked, surveying her opponents.

Izuru and Zeo stood forward, Naomi whispering to Zeo to be careful before he did. They stood opposite her and readied their own swords. "We will face you first," Izuru declared, "Izuru Kira and Zeo Oseomartir, the lieutenant and 3rd seat of Squad 3, respectively."

"Hmm, I think I'll enjoy this," Kaede smirked, a flirtatious tone entering her voice. She ran at them quickly, her sword ready to slash at them, but they both dispersed, jumping in opposite directions. They then jumped back to where Kaede stood, looking to make contact with their own swords, but she back-flipped to her starting position.

She smirked at them, whilst Izuru and Zeo glared at her. She ran at them again, but then flipped forward in the air, landing behind them. Izuru readied to block, but Zeo was too late and got slashed in the back, forcing him to his knees. Naomi raised her hands to her mouth at the sidelines, worried for his safety.

"Apparently, you're not used to that blade of yours, arrancar," Kaede taunted. "Perhaps you'll do better once you've practiced with it?" she laughed.

"That's enough," Izuru interrupted. "Do not speak ill of Zeo. He is a respected member of the Gotei 13, so do not discredit his abilities." He then raised his sword, and focused himself. "Raise your head, Wabisuke."

His sword extended and folded over on itself, forming a square hook at the end of the blade. He slashed at Kaede, who blocked with her own sword but got pushed back a few feet. She suddenly felt her hand fall down, but found the strength to hold it up.

She looked up at Izuru and glared. "What is happening?" she yelled. "What have you done?"

Izuru kept his solemn expression. "My sword has a little trick," he answered slowly. "Every time it makes contact with something, it doubles that objects' weight, just like it did to your sword just then. And what's more is, every time it hits the same object, its weight doubles again and again, until you fall to your knees in front of me."

Kaede smiled. "Well then, I'll just have to avoid your blade and I'll be home free, huh?" she mused. She swung her head to her right, and then looked forward again. A dark look was etched across her face again. "This'll be a blast!" she yelled, her voice darkening again.

She ran at Izuru swiftly, dodging all slashes he made, and twisting past him to avoid a vertical slice at her head. She landed, and again rushed at Izuru, who could only just manage to block her sword attack, making Kaede flip backwards again, only to rush forward once more.

Raven stood at the sidelines, surveying Kaede's tactics. He motioned to Naomi and Crystal. "Do you see what I see?" he asked.

"That she's a schizophrenic who has problems with her other personalities so much that she hates them?" Naomi joked.

"No, not that," Raven dismissed her attempt at humour. "It's her battle style. As soon as her demeanour changed, her tactics changed. It's unusual for a schizophrenic to be so calculated in each personality, so I'm thinking that there's much more to it than that."

"I know what you mean," Crystal added. "I've been getting a really chilling vibe from her spiritual energy, especially when she turns all berserker like that."

Izuru only just dodged the flurry of stabs that Kaede sent his way, eventually jumping back to gain some distance. He didn't notice, however, that Kaede had flash-stepped behind him, and she quickly sliced into his back, sending him to the ground in a heap.

Kaede landed and walked over to the three remaining soul reapers. "Well, looks like I beat your little friends, but they bored me, so I spared their useless lives."

Naomi growled and stepped forward, but Raven raised his arm to stop her. He then turned to speak to Kaede. "I shall ask you again, what is your name?"

"My name?" Kaede asked. "Well, I guess you could call me Kaede Yokoshima when I'm like this."

"'Like this'?" Naomi asked, confused. "What does she mean by 'like this'?" Raven smirked on hearing Kaede's name.

"Alright, now we're making some progress," he said, almost laughing. "At least now I know what to put on your gravestone when I send you to death."

"Y'know, that arrogance of yours is annoying when it shines through," Kaede replied, her dark voice suiting her new volley of insults and backchat. "You really should keep it in check."

"Maybe you're right," Raven muttered. "Maybe I spent too long under Kenpachi's command, so that when I see a strong opponent, I have to fight them. Either way, visored, you are finished here and now!"

Kaede stood shocked. "You knew I was a visored all along?" she gasped. Crystal smirked also.

"Of course we did," she said. "It was obvious by your weird spiritual energy that you weren't a true soul reaper, so what else could you be? You have no mask remnants and no hollow hole, so you can't be an arrancar."

Kaede growled and raised her sword. "Alright then, I'll allow you to see my visored powers, if you do so wish." Her right hand let go of her sword, transferring the grip to her left, and she pointed her palm at the three standing before her. As spiritual energy gathered in her hand, a mask started to form over the right half of her face, forming a skeletal geisha-like face with spikes pointing out from the sides.

As the energy finally built up in her hand, she fired it and screamed "Cero" as she did. It blasted forward, but all three of her opponents were ready and all dodged just in time. They all landed a few metres to the right of where the cero had just fired.

Raven turned to Naomi. "Sis, I know that you want to fight, but there are more important things to take care of, like getting Izuru and Zeo to Squad 4," he explained. "Do that for them, alright?"

Naomi stared into his eyes, pleading to allow her to fight on, but eventually gave up. "Alright, Rae, just be careful right?" she replied, flash-stepping over to the fallen Izuru and Zeo, picking them up and flash-stepping off.

Raven turned back to Kaede and readied his blade. "Alright then, shall we begin?" he asked, smiling.

"First, I want your names, since you forced me to introduce myself," Kaede asked, placing her hand on her hip.

"Captain of Squad 3, Raven Ruhodesu," Raven exclaimed, not taking his gaze from Kaede. Crystal also yelled. "Captain of Squad 9, Crystal Kyoraku."

"Now we can begin," Kaede smiled evilly. She ran at them both, swinging her sword only when necessary, like it was all calculated. Raven and Crystal had no problem with this, blocking every slash, and retaliating in places where Kaede's guard was dropped.

Kaede landed with light cuts spread across her body, whereas Raven and Crystal showed no signs of any damage. All three turned to face each other. Raven and Crystal smirked, whilst Kaede glared with malice.

"This fight is really unfair, wouldn't you say?" Kaede asked, in a fake-sad voice. She smirked. "So why don't I make this two on two?" She raised her sword in front of her and inhaled slowly. "Separate and balance, Futagoza Kyoushin!"

Her sword glowed, splitting into two. This didn't surprise Raven or Crystal, but what did surprise them was that Kaede also started splitting into two. When the light died down, two Kaede's stood before them, one mirroring the looks of the first. Instead of the geisha-like mask, the mirror image of Kaede had her mask on the left side of her face, and its geisha-like features were distorted into an evil grin.

Raven looked on, unimpressed. "You mind explaining to us what the hell is going on?" he asked, flatly.

"Well," the Kaede with the right half of the mask started. "We are not the same person, or rather we weren't to begin with."

"Right," the dark voiced Kaede added. "We were originally identical twins in the world of the living, and went everywhere together."

"Indeed. We went so many places together that we started wearing the same clothes and such, as most twins do who spend too much time together."

"So much time spent together in life that the same happened in death. We both died at the same time, in the same place."

"The problem was, that Soul Society could not distinguish that our two souls were separate, and such our spirit body that you see before you was formed to house both of our souls."

"Luckily, or by fate, we found our zanpakuto when we entered Soul Academy, which allowed us to finally split apart and act independently, only being able to have control over the body whilst the other rested beforehand."

"Of course, our situation made us freaks and outsiders by other soul reapers' ideals, and so we were cast out in shame. Of course, then Captain Kurotsuchi found us, and a hollowification process was done, to attempt to recreate the same effects that turned the other visoreds into what they are."

"And now," the darker Kaede finished. "We are here to get our payback on the SOBs who didn't accept us!"

"We didn't want it to come to this," the other Kaede added, softly. "But it has, and this cannot be avoided."

Crystal looked on, dumbfounded. "Well... that's interesting..." she trailed off. Raven was inwardly thankful that he had died at a different time than Naomi, and that he should probably note to Captain Seiryoku about the lack of maintenance that was used in Kaede's circumstance.

"So then, what will we call you, Kaede's twin sister?" Raven asked, snapping back to reality.

"You may call me Rei Yokoshima, cutie," Rei answered, obvious flirting in her tone. Crystal yet again glared at them, knowing that Kaede was inwardly thinking a similar thing since their minds were most probably linked.

Raven growled and raised his sword. "Screw this! Delete, Kujotenshi!" he yelled, his sword elongating into his scythe. Crystal also raised her sword, shouting "Purify, Youshatenshi!" as her sword elongated into her jewel-encrusted halberd. They both took stances before running at Kaede and Rei, taking one each.

Rei smiled wide as Raven approached her, and she raised her sword and swung it, creating a wave of energy that shot fairly quickly towards Raven's abdomen. Raven dodged, sending a kido-scythe at Rei, who jumped towards it and sliced through it before attacking Raven head-on.

Raven blocked with his scythe, forcing Rei to push forward with her strength, but failing in comparison to Raven's strength, pushing Rei back to the ground, where dust flew into the air upon her landing.

Rei laughed evilly as she jumped back up to a waiting Raven's scythe, which slashed at her, cutting into her chest and sending her flying back into a rock, smashing the rock into pieces.

Crystal, however, had Kaede to deal with, and they were locked in a deadlock, neither one giving up. Their eyes met, and they both jumped backwards, Crystal sending out a shot of lightning and Kaede sending out a wave of energy. Their attacks clashed in midair, both of them taking the smoke made by this clash as cover for a charge, in which they clashed their weapons again in a deadlock.

Kaede noticed Rei standing up, and backed off to stand by her side. "Sis, d'you think we should resonate?" she asked Rei.

Rei nodded. "That would be our best option for victory at this time, so yeah, I'd think so Kae."

Kaede smiled back at Rei and raised her sword towards her. Rei did the same to Kaede, and their blades touched, creating a piercing sound that forced Raven and Crystal to cover their ears. Enough energy was created between their swords so that Kaede and Rei released a larger wave of energy at Raven and Crystal, who were forced back into a rock wall, both falling to their knees in pain.

Kaede smiled. "That was our 'Resonance Wave', a wave of sound so powerful that it can deafen everyone in a couple of miles of range."

Rei added. "It can only be done by the conjunction of our two blades together, as they are two halves of the same sword."

Raven and Crystal struggled to get up, using their staffs to balance themselves. "Apparently, we're not as in sync as those two are," Raven said, panting. Crystal smiled over to him.

"Hey, we're a couple, right? So we should be able to figure something out between each other since we know each other's strengths and weaknesses so well," Crystal replied, trying to cheer him up.

They both stood up and nodded to each other. "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi!" Raven yelled. The sky darkened and black, angelic wings grew from his back. His scythe elongated even more, a kunai being visible from the base of his staff.

"Bankai, Shirohane Youshatenshi!" Crystal yelled with Raven. Her weapon split into two large axes, and white wings grew from her back. A sparkling aura surrounded her, dispelling the darkness around her created by Raven's bankai.

Kaede and Rei looked on in shock. Raven rushed at them first, scythe ready to shoot kunai. Just before getting to them, Raven flash-stepped behind them, both unaware because of the darkness, and quickly shot kunai at both Kaede and Rei, hitting them both in the arm.

They both recoiled in pain, whilst Crystal rushed in from the front and shot out a wave of light, which forced them both backwards into a rock wall on the opposite side. Raven stood by Crystal's side again, and both smirked. Kaede and Rei struggled to get up, but then they grasped each other's hand, which enveloped them in a white aura, slowly healing them.

They eventually stood up and faced Raven and Crystal again, both smirking. Crystal turned to Raven. "We really need to start thinking like a well-oiled machine, otherwise we're screwed."

"You are of the Gotei 13, Crystal, please use more appropriate language," Raven joked. Crystal turned to him. "Oh, so now you can joke, but when it's all fun and games, you don't want any part?!"

"Hmm, not a bad idea," Raven mused. "If we can create a rift between them, then I'm sure they won't willingly use their harmonising abilities."

"Not a bad idea, Rae, but how do we do that?" Crystal asked, impressed. Raven stared at their two enemies. "Follow my lead," he said, slowly.

Raven flash-stepped forward, and then behind Kaede and Rei, who expected this and turned, but then Crystal flash-stepped forward to send a lightning strike their way. It ended up discharging in the middle of both Kaede and Rei, making them turn to each other, angry.

"Hmm, I think they're trying to pit us against each other, dear sister," Rei said, smirking. Kaede nodded. "But that's not going to happen, right Rei?" she added. Rei smirked even more in response and sent a wave of sound at Crystal, who was sent backwards a couple of feet, before Raven caught her after a quick flash-step.

Raven and Crystal rushed forward, ready to attack for a final time, Raven swinging wildly with his scythe to build up power and Crystal readying her cross-shaped beam. Kaede and Rei decided to rush forward also, readying their 'Resonance Wave' to fire. As soon as the four met each other, they all released their separate kido attacks at each other, creating a huge eruption of spiritual energy, blasting all four of them into the rock walls behind them, causing small landslides to occur from above them.

Before the rocks landed, Rei and Kaede were absorbed into the ground by a small garganta. The landslide did however fall on Raven and Crystal, encasing them inside a shell of rock.

* * *

"Captain Unohana, please look after them, alright?" Naomi asked, politely. Retsu looked at her and smiled sweetly.

"Of course, Naomi, now please let us work," she replied. "Do you not have your brother and Crystal in a fight with an intruder right now?"

Naomi snapped back into action. "Oh yeah, damn!" She went to flash-step off. "Thank you, Captain Unohana!" she yelled back, flash-stepping off quickly, rushing to Raven and Crystal's aid.

* * *

_And so, the fight comes to a conclusion. And who saw Kaede's secret coming? Points go to you if you did. I'm liking the fact that this fic has a steady fan-base, but if more people could review, I'd be ecstatic (well, as much as I can be)._

_**Next chapter:** Soifon and Marechiyo go out to the last gate, ready to intercept an intruder. Little do they know who they're going to meet. In a hard-fought battle, Soifon and Marechiyo take on another of Matthew's underlings who appears to care more about taking a break than actually fighting, or is he just setting up a facade? Find out next time, in 'Nerves Of Steel'._


	10. Nerves Of Steel

**Chapter 9 – Nerves Of Steel**

Soifon, honing into foreign spiritual pressures, decided to head towards the south gate when she saw others heading out to the other three. Flash-stepping from roof to roof, she quickly gathered speed. The buildings seemed a blur as she passed them all.

Approaching her target, she called out to her surroundings. "Marechiyo, get out here right now!" she yelled, Marecfhiyo appearing quickly behind her, a nervous look crossing his face.

"Yes, captain?" he managed to speak, before Soifon hushed him by raising her hand. "I expect that you are aware of the current situation?" she asked.

Marechiyo quickly snapped into a serious demeanour. "Yes, Captain Soifon," he replied. "We all sensed the large fluctuation in spiritual pressure, and all seated officers are currently tracking it. We don't know how many there are, but we'll find them all eventually."

"Well, at least this time we have some order around here," she muttered. She then focused herself ahead. "Now, Marechiyo, let's get going!"

"Yes, captain!" he replied, struggling to keep up with Soifon's new speed.

* * *

The garganta that had brought him through finally closed, as the last of his hollow companions stepped out. The figure stood tall, his white jacket blowing in the wind. His hollow mask only remained on his jaw, pronouncing it out more than the rest of his face.

He stepped forward, unsheathing his sword and staring towards the oncoming spiritual pressure. He smirked lightly, his cold black eyes showing no emotion to distinguish the smirk from friendly or sadistic.

He turned to the numerous hollows stood behind him and pointed outwards to the streets of Soul Society. "Kill everything you see," he spoke, coldly. The hollows roared to agree and rushed out through the streets. He laughed softly to himself and readied himself for the oncoming threat.

When Soifon and Marechiyo finally arrived, the arrancar had sat down on a wall that surrounded them, and was looking up to the sky. He finally noticed them and turned to view them. "Nice day, right?" he asked, sighing.

Soifon looked up and glared at him in reply. "What do you think you're doing, arrancar?" she yelled. "Why are you just sitting there when you came here to destroy Soul Society?"

The arrancar turned to face the sky again. "Well, I was going to, but I got distracted by this beautiful sun, and these faint clouds," he replied, sighing yet again. "But my hollows are currently around, killing your soul reapers, so that's fine."

"You get down here right now and let me kill you!" Soifon replied, her voice growing gradually louder. She turned to Marechiyo. "Bring him to me now, will you?"

Marechiyo jumped slightly, then did as she wanted. He flash-stepped behind the arrancar and attempted to grab him, but the arrancar answered with a swift overhead kick to Marechiyo's head, knocking him down to the ground.

The arrancar looked down to where Marechiyo fell, and sighed again. "Fortunate that you attacked me," he muttered. "Otherwise I would have hurt you much more than I did just then." He then smirked and turned to Soifon. "So, Ms. Captain, will you be my dancing partner now?"

Soifon glared daggers at him and quickly flash-stepped behind him to attack with her sword. The arrancar turned and blocked with his sword extremely quickly, then jumped down to ground level, taking a stance.

"Ms. Captain, please, I haven't even introduced myself yet," he said, a smirk still on his face. "I am Eiji Kitadani, and I am currently under the 'employ' of my friend Matthew Richardson. I believe that you know him, as he was the one who attacked the academy recently."

Soifon gasped, then glared yet again at Eiji. "For that," she whispered, her eyes shadowed by her hair, "I will kill you, and your 'friend'."

Eiji's eyes widened slightly, as Soifon suddenly appeared behind him and quickly kicked him in the back of the head, forcing him down to the ground. He swiftly rolled forward, and unsheathed his sword again to make a stance, panting for breath.

"How did you do that so quickly?" he asked, a hint of curiosity present in his voice. He quickly regained his composure. "Though, it does not matter, for I will be the victor in this fight."

Soifon smirked. "We'll see, won't we?" She held out her sword at her side. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" Spiritual energy blasted its way from her sword and surrounded it. Dying down, her sword was now visible, having shrunk down to the stinger worn on her finger. "And my sword's ability will leave you dead, much like what I'll do to your 'friend' once I find him."

"How so?" Eiji asked, curious yet again. "I'm sure that you mean for your sword to be used in my defeat, but I doubt it has such power as to kill me straight off."

"That is where you are wrong," Soifon answered. "My sword gives me the power of instant death to my enemies, if I strike them in the same place twice on their body."

Eiji smirked slightly darker. "Well then, if that is the case, it will be my pleasure to face you with all of my power," he sighed, "and leave you in a pool of your own blood afterwards."

* * *

As Nanao was flash-stepping towards the south gate, in pursuit of Soifon and Marechiyo, she was suddenly pushed back by the surge of spiritual pressure that appeared before her. What felt like a hundred hollows were heading her way, and she was the only one in their way.

She unsheathed her sword and took a stance. She gulped nervously as they swarmed in closer. She readied herself and stared forwards, ready for the worst. She saw the first hollow's mask from around the corner, and rushed forward. She slashed down at its face, making it recede in pain and let out a hideous scream.

She jumped back again, waiting for the rest, until she was caught off-guard by a rush of hollows from around corner. Whilst she fought off the first four or five, the others swarmed around her and quickly outnumbered her.

Sweat fell from her forehead. "I don't think I'll survive this," she whispered to herself. One of the hollows, the largest – the apparent leader, raised its claw to deal the finishing blow to her. As its claw fell down on her, she closed her eyes.

She didn't feel anything. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw a burst of strawberry blonde hair in front of her. "Rangiku?" she asked, shocked. Rangiku stood in front of her, her sword blocking the hollow's claw. She turned and smiled. "How are you Nanao? I was just in the neighbourhood and I thought you could use a bit of a hand," she said, humour in her voice.

"Rangiku, I thought you were tending to Captain Hitsugaya," Nanao stammered. Rangiku turned back to the hollow. "Come now, Captain Hitsugaya is a big boy, he can take care of himself," she replied. "And furthermore, I couldn't leave a friend in need, could I?"

Rangiku repelled the hollow's claw, sending it backwards. She then raised her sword. "Growl, Haineko!" Her sword erupted into a storm of ash, pushing back all the hollows that encircled them.

She gestured to her left, and the ash followed, making a sickle-shaped arc that cut through all of the hollows that stood there. She then gestured to her right, and the same blade was formed from her ash, cutting through all the hollows on that side also. One stray hollow jumped forward to attack her, and she was taken off-guard.

Nanao yelled out "Hado 33, Soukatsui!" and a blue blast launched the hollow into the opposite wall, crushing its head and dissolving it. Rangiku turned to Nanao. "Nice timing there, Nanao!" she beamed. Rangiku just managed to dodge a cero aimed at her whilst her back was turned. She turned to the hollow which had done so. "Now, that wasn't very nice, was it?" she asked, annoyed. She gestured, and the hollow was sliced cleanly in half, in no time whatsoever.

* * *

Soifon jumped back again, after delivering a devastating kick to Eiji's abdomen, which sent him back-first into the wall next to the gate. He panted for breath, then smirked once again. His eyes were still emotionless, which gave question to what his smirk actually meant.

"Nice going Ms. Captain, but I have to admit that this charade is boring me to no end," Eiji taunted, albeit in a monotonous tone that wasn't easily distinguishable as such an insult. "I shall have to raise my game to my normal power level if I am to destroy you, it seems."

He threw his sword up into the air. When it hit its peak, it turned around and fell blade-side down. He raised his hand and awaited the oncoming blade. As the blade made contact with his palm, he smirked darkly. "Tear through, Acerocuerpo!" he yelled, his sword being absorbed into his palm. As the sword finally disappeared, he just stood in front of Soifon, nothing seeming to have changed.

Soifon glared. "What the hell was all that flash and show about, when all it did was make your sword disappear?" she yelled, cautious. Eiji laughed softly, then stared at her coldly.

"I advise you to refrain from such taunts, Ms. Captain – or should I call you Soifon?" Eiji spoke, monotonous again. The playful emphasis that he usually put on 'Ms. Captain' was gone, and instead, a lack of compassion and feeling seemed to originate from his soul.

Soifon smirked herself. "Well, what is this power that you have then? I would like to see it in action," she said, slightly agitated.

"Be careful what you wish for, girl," Eiji answered, flatly. He ran up to her and threw a punch swiftly, but he was just as swiftly parried by Soifon, who then proceeded to stab him with her shikai. Her attack simply bounced off of Eiji's skin, and sent Soifon back a few feet.

"What is this?" she asked, bewildered. "I stabbed you, and yet my hornet's crest has not appeared. What is this trickery?"

"No trickery, girl," Eiji laughed coldly. "It is my ability, which you said did nothing. It makes my body steel, but not so much so that I cannot move, but so much that I can protect myself when needed and attack you when needed." He trailed off. "And I can do this." He opened his jacket and plunged his hand into his now visible hollow hole located on his sternum. He pulled out what appeared to be a blade, but on further inspection, Soifon sank back in disgust.

"That's you rib!" she yelled, her eyes narrowed. Eiji smiled, and ran at her, blade poised to stab forward. Soifon dodged just in time and flash-stepped a couple of metres behind him, to recuperate. "Damn, this guy doesn't give up!" she said to herself.

Eiji turned quickly and used sonido to appear behind her, slashing down with his blade, slashing her haori through the back. As she stumbled forwards, her haori fell from her torso, revealing her stealth force uniform. Eiji looked at her with curiosity.

"What?" Soifon asked bluntly. "Oh, my stealth uniform, it is only given to the leader of the Stealth Forces, and only because of a certain technique that only we can use." She raised her arm, in preparation for her Shunko.

Suddenly, Marechiyo ran in front of her, facing Eiji himself. He yelled out in rage. "How dare you make a mockery of Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkotaroemon Omaeda! Crush, Gegetsuburi!" His sword changed dramatically, forming a mace, with the metal ball forming spikes on its surface. Soifon looked on, annoyed. Marechiyo ignored this, and in a blind rage, forced his spiked ball forwards at Eiji, who simply stopped it with his palm.

Marechiyo started to sweat greatly. Eiji smirked and a cero grew in the palm holding the spiked ball. He blasted it towards Marechiyo, knocking him backwards into the opposite wall, and unconscious.

"Well," Eiji chuckled. "That helped you out a lot, didn't it?" he asked, taunting Soifon slightly, but she had disappeared. He looked around, confused. His searches were answered by a kick squarely on his back, forcing him forwards and onto his knees.

Soifon landed with grace and then continued from before she was interrupted. "Actually," she commented. "Whilst Marechiyo acts like a complete idiot 100% of the time, about 3% of the time, it's just a cover for a brilliantly tactical mind. That's one of the reasons why he is my lieutenant. Of course, he's still an idiot, but that will never change."

She raised her arm again, and a white spiritual energy erupted from her back and enveloped her arm. Her hair was blown wildly as the waves of energy grew. Eventually the energy blasts subsided, showing that Soifon was now glowing with a new aura. She ran at full speed towards Eiji, who became confused as she had completely disappeared.

She reappeared at his right, thrusting her stinger at him, attempting to stab him. Eiji realised this and just stood there, reinforcing his body with his steel. Soifon smirked at this, stabbing through Eiji's steel skin and puncturing his kidney. The hornet's crest appeared over the wound as Eiji fell in pain.

Soifon appeared again opposite Eiji, still glaring at him. Eiji raised his head, and answered her glare. This was the first look of real anger that he had since the fight started. "How did you do this?" he asked, his anger starting to well up.

"My Shunko ability is a combination of hand-to-hand combat and kido, and it makes me so fast that I can cut through anything if I move with enough effort, even steel," she explained. "I am probably the fastest soul reaper in Soul Society because of this ability."

Eiji struggled to stand. "Quite the ego you have there, Soifon," he taunted again. "You may have speed, but it cannot stand up to my abilities." He raised his hands in front of him, and his fingers started to form little blades that jutted out of his hands. He forced them down into the ground, creating a ripple from their movement underground, until they erupted from under Soifon, who was taken by surprise. The blades shot out and linked together overhead, creating a cage, before she could even move.

"And that is my Blade Cage," Eiji chuckled. "A cage made out of my own body, in steel form, of course. Not only does it act as the said cage, but it also acts as a torturing device, like so." He gestured, and a blade shot out from one of the bars of the cage, heading for Soifon. She simply sidestepped it, and it was absorbed into the opposite bar.

"You dodged," Eiji chuckled, taunting her. "Well, I wonder if you will dodge the next?" he smirked.

"One question beforehand," Soifon said, hastily. Eiji looked at her curiously. "I'm taking it that, by the fact your fingers are still embedded into the ground, this cage is still part of your body?" Eiji nodded. "Excellent." Soifon continued, smiling.

"Why do you want to know such a thing?" Eiji asked back. "It's not like you can do anything about it."

"Well, if you were listening before, you'd remember my sword's ability," Soifon started. "I can kill anything that I stab twice in the same place."

Eiji narrowed his eyes, as Soifon started to stab the bar on her right. The hornet's crest appeared on it, and Soifon readied herself to stab again. Eiji quickly thought it over, and just before Soifon stabbed the crest, the cage slowly disintegrated, as Eiji's fingers left the ground. Soifon smirked and lowered her arm.

"Not so tough now, huh?" she asked. This seemed to enrage him even more, and he pointed to Soifon, a glare meeting her eyes. "You have not even begun to witness my true power!" he yelled. "Of Matthew's 'Fearful Four', I am the second strongest. You stand no chance against me!"

He built up the pressure in his body, and then released it all at once, producing spikes of steel which ripped through his skin, accenting his broad features. Two blades erupted from his forehead, becoming horn-like, making him look demonic. His jawbone grew drastically, spiking around the back of his head and pointing forward even more, even growing spiked teeth.

"What do you think of the upgrade?" he spoke, a dark voice emanating from his throat. "I like it, it makes me look intimidating."

"Yeah, well, that's not going to work on me," Soifon replied, flatly. "All it's going to do is make you look nice for your funeral." She flash-stepped and in a split-second was behind Eiji, stabbing him in the back, on the right. In retaliation, a spike jutted out of his back, attacking Soifon, who dodged it and jumped back.

Eiji turned and ran, throwing a punch forward, spikes rising from his knuckles. Soifon saw this and dodged, appearing behind Eiji, who sensed her approach and forced another spike out of his back, pushing her back.

"You can't attack me from the back anymore," he taunted "as I'll just force one of my bones out to act as a defence mechanism."

Soifon smirked at this, and appeared in front of him, rushing forward. She feinted, Eiji looking to meet her at his right, but instead charged forwards, stabbing his chest – the right side.

Eiji started choking. He coughed up blood. "Wha? What is this? You didn't stab me in the same place twice," he yelled in panic. Soifon just stood solemnly.

"I did stab the same place – your right lung," she replied. "I punctured it from the back beforehand, and just now. The two punctures crossed each other, so I'm afraid that your time is up."

Eiji grasped at his throat, his breathing becoming shallow. He tried to grab Soifon's leg as he fell to his knees. Soifon just walked away, leaving Eiji to die in a pool of his own blood.

She re-sheathed her sword, her shikai disappearing. She walked over to Marechiyo and prodded him with her foot. "Get up, idiot," she ordered. "The arrancar's dead now. Thanks for being a distraction, at least."

Marechiyo got up slowly. "Distraction?" he asked "For what?" Soifon growled, then kicked him back up, Marechiyo pleading for mercy. 'Tactician? I have been wrong before,' Soifon thought, kicking Marechiyo again.

* * *

Nanao and Rangiku stood back to back, as the last hollow fell to the ground. Rangiku sighed. "Not bad Nanao," she beamed. "Let's go back now, huh?"

Nanao smiled back. "Of course, Rangiku," she replied "just after I have checked upon Captain Soifon and Lieutenant Omaeda. I saw them flash-stepping past here, and I thought they could use some help."

"Oh right," Rangiku answered, understanding. "Well, I wouldn't put a mere intruder past Captain Soifon, but Marechiyo..." she trailed off. "Maybe not," she smiled.

* * *

Naomi finally reached her destination. She looked around, ready for a fight, but all she saw was two piles of rocks on opposite sides of the battle area. She sensed around.

"Raven! Crystal! What are you two doing under there?" she yelled, running up to the pile closest to her. Raven grunted. "This isn't our idea of a private moment, if that's what you mean," he answered flatly.

Crystal groaned next to him. "Those two visored just clashed their attack with ours, and it made these landslides."

"Two visoreds?" Naomi echoed, confused. Raven snapped her back. "We'll explain later, just help us out of here, alright?" he said. Naomi nodded and started to pick the stones up one by one.

* * *

At the same time that the captains dispersed out towards the gates, Kenji laughed. He stood next to the front door to Squad 1 HQ, and inwardly laughed at their complete ignorance that he was there. He sidestepped to his left and turned to walk through the door, ready to attack.

Kiyomi saw him immediately. "What are you doing here, Kenji Ito?" she asked, glaring at him.

Kenji laughed coldly. "Well, I was going to attack a gate with my companions, but I decided against that, as it goes against my plan. Instead, I got my arrancar's friend to fill in for me."

Kiyomi growled. "And what is this plan of yours?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Well, if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it, Captain Seiryoku?" he chuckled to himself. "Although I will tell you that my next move is to attack you!" he said, standing in the middle of the room.

Kiyomi stood quickly from her seat at the head of the room. She glared deeper at Kenji, who just smiled back, confidence leaking from his stance.

"Ready to go, Kiyomi?" he asked, taunting her. Kiyomi reached for her sword inside her haori. She pointed it straight at Kenji. "Bring it on, Ito!" she yelled. "You may regret it when this is over!"

* * *

_And here it is, finally Kenji and Kiyomi look each other in the eye. All four gates are now protected (to a degree), so not it's our new Head-Captain's turn. Also, review if you can. It's just a thought. NB - you seriously don't know how many times I misspelled 'Marechiyo', let alone his full name._

_**Next chapter: **Kiyomi and Kenji now face off, but what tricks does Kenji have hiding up his sleeves? And what of Terri and Hiroshi? Well, they'll also get some 'screen-time', all in a chapter I like to call 'Clash Of The Titans', next week._


	11. Clash Of The Titans

**Chapter 10 – Clash Of The Titans**

Kiyomi stared at Kenji, cautious of his next move. Kenji just laughed off her taunt. "Come now," he mocked, coldly, "don't even think that you're at my power level, because you're not."

He pointed his sword towards Kiyomi, and she stepped slightly backwards. She became conscious of her weakened position and stepped forward, trying to psyche herself up. Kenji again laughed.

"See? Even you think that you'll lose," he taunted. "And that's why you will not win this battle."

"That's where you're wrong, Kenji," Kiyomi smirked. "I was just worried because this is the first fight to protect Soul Society that I have performed in ever since I was made captain of Squad 1, so I doubted slightly whether I would be able to finish you off in a dominating enough way."

Kenji growled. "Ha, real funny," his voice trailed off. "Now, you're really going to get it, bitch." He lunged forward with his sword, Kiyomi blocking, and they stood in a deadlock.

* * *

Terri woke up with a start. She sat up swiftly and looked around. She jumped from her bed, ran up to the room divider and opened it. She then proceeded to shake Hiroshi to wake him up.

"Hiroshi! Hiroshi! You feel that?!" she whispered anxiously. She fumed as he didn't even stir. She grabbed him by the lapel and shook him violently. "Hiroshi!" she screamed, albeit in a hushed tone.

Hiroshi woke up as quickly as Terri had done a few minutes earlier. He wiped his eyes and looked at her. "Oh Terri, hey," he mumbled. "What's up?" he asked, lazily.

"Do you feel that spiritual pressure?" she asked him, worried. Hiroshi quickly snapped back to reality and concentrated. He mused over it for a while.

"I can feel the spiritual pressures of a few captains flaring up," he replied, "including Captains Ruhodesu, Kuchiki and Kurotsuchi, among others. Ah, and I can sense Head Captain Seiryoku's spiritual pressure that just erupted. Then there's some unknown energy," he looked at her, gravely, "definitely not friendly spiritual energy."

Terri nodded. "Then let's go and see if we can help then, huh?" she asked. "I mean, we can't just sit here and do nothing whilst the whole of Soul Society fights these intruders off, right?"

Hiroshi looked nervous. "Um, yeah, sure," he started. "But, if we stay here, then there's a less chance we'll get in the way, and possibly mess up any captains' plans."

"Hiroshi..." Terri accused, her eyes looking at him knowingly. Hiroshi finally gave in, and grabbed his sword. Terri did the same for her three, strapping two to either side of her waist, and one on her back. They nodded to each other and jumped from the window into the streets.

* * *

Kenji jumped back from their ninth consecutive deadlock, and smirked. "Well, I didn't expect you to be so strong, Ms. Seiryoku, despite your old age," he mocked. Kiyomi glared at him.

"Well, excuse me, but despite what my numerical age may say, my body's age is that of a healthy 40-year old woman," she snapped back. "And this woman is going to slay your sorry soul."

She leapt forward, her sword ready to slash down. Kenji saw this, and readied a block. Kiyomi smirked, and feinted to her left, leaving Kenji to expect an attack from that direction. Kiyomi instead leaned right and stabbed Kenji in his side, causing him to yell out in pain.

She leapt back, dusting herself off. Kenji however just glared at her, smirking slightly. "You think that'll do me in?" he asked. "Please! Hollows have done more damage to me!" Kiyomi's face fell at this remark, and she readied her sword in front of her.

"Is that right?" she growled. "Well, then," she started, "Constrict, Tsutasenjo!" Her sword glowed emerald green, and started to elongate and swirl in the air. The glow finally calmed down, and in place of her sword was a long, dark green whip structured on her blade's hilt. Thorns grew from the whip, emphasising it even more.

Kenji looked on, unimpressed. "What? A whip?" he asked, humour in his voice. "That's not much of a close-combat weapon, is it?"

Kiyomi smiled. "You'd be surprised," she whispered. She leapt forward again, and gestured down, her whip following her direction. It snapped close to Kenji's right foot, and he moved back slightly in surprise. Kiyomi landed. "How was that?" she asked.

Kenji growled and ran at her, his sword pointing towards her gut. She saw this coming and merely sidestepped, her whip then wrapping around Kenji's blade as it was thrust forward. Kenji's eyes opened wide as he was then thrown back by a quick flick of Kiyomi's whip.

He landed on his back and gasped for the air that rushed out of his lungs. He staggered to stand up, using his sword as support. He glared at Kiyomi, whose arms were crossed, apparently bored.

"How dare you!" Kenji seethed. "How dare you disgrace me like this! How _dare_ you!" he echoed. He raised his sword again and ran at her, eyes fixed at her abdomen. He thrust his sword forward again, and Kiyomi dodged again, wrapping her whip around his blade yet again, but Kenji thought quickly and unwound it in one swift movement. He backed off again, then flash-stepped behind her, slashing down.

Kiyomi had already predicted this, and flash-stepped to the opposite side of the room. She focused and raised her whip into the air. She lashed it down, the whip lengthening at an alarming rate until it snapped extremely close to Kenji's chest, knocking him back a couple of feet.

He growled and raised his sword in front of him. "Shriek, Utsuroshikyo!" A loud, piercing sound emitted from his sword and blasted Kiyomi back into the wall. She was knocked down and held in her cry of pain. Behind Kenji, a giant hollow rose from the dust that had been raised from the ground. It had a bat-like mask, and it loomed over Kiyomi with a large smile etched on its face under its mask.

Kiyomi looked up slowly, fear growing over her. "A hollow?" she asked. "This is your shikai?" The hollow chuckled in reply.

"Yes, Ms. Seiryoku," Kenji replied. "My shikai originally allowed me to summon a larger, more corporeal version of my zanpakuto spirit, yet after all of the power I've gained over the years, it has evolved into this form that you see before you." He laughed, his demeanour having turned cold yet again. "And this hollow has a very special power, you see," he continued. "For whoever this hollow touches, exempting me, will be put into an eternal coma, of sorts."

Kiyomi glared at the hollow that loomed over her. 'This is going to spell my doom,' she thought, sweating. 'But at least I'll go down in battle.' She stood and ran at the hollow, wrapping her whip around its arm. She then proceeded to arc her arm around, attempting to flip the hollow over. The hollow didn't budge, and merely threw Kiyomi over into the wall via her whip.

"Ah yes, I see you've found out that it isn't any normal hollow, right?" Kenji chuckled. "It can't simply be thrown by a woman of your stature, and it cannot be killed unless you first destroy my blade, or break my focus on my blade."

Kiyomi stood up slowly and stared at the hollow. 'Damn, I'll need to find another way out of this...' she thought, gravely.

* * *

Terri and Hiroshi jumped from roof to roof, sneaking past oncoming hollows that were rampaging through the streets of Soul Society. Terri looked back at Hiroshi and gestured down, sadly.

"No Terri," he said. "Those hollows will be dealt with by people who have more power than us to be able to take on 20 hollows at a time. We can't take them on, and you know that."

"Yeah, but they're tearing down everything," Terri argued, despair in her tone. Hiroshi just sped up, grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

They eventually landed next to Squad 1 HQ. Terri looked around nervously. "Hey Hiroshi, we're not allowed anywhere near Squad 1, right?" she asked.

"Right," Hiroshi answered. "So that means that this is exactly where the intruders wouldn't think some unranked soul reapers would tread. That's what you wanted, right, to help?"

Terri beamed. "Yeah!" she smiled. "Let's go check it out." They walked towards an open window, and a sudden surge of spiritual pressure made them groggy. This obviously wasn't the good kind of spirit energy. They looked inside, concealing themselves as best as they could.

"Oh no," Terri gasped. "Head Captain Seiryoku!" Hiroshi stopped her from speaking any more. "Do you see that guy?" he asked her, quietly. "If that guy hears us, we're going to be next!"

Terri nodded, looking back into the room at Kiyomi's apparent demise at the hands of Kenji.

* * *

'Well, if that thing puts people into comas, I just won't touch it then,' Kiyomi mused. 'Adding to that the fact that it is virtually indestructible, I think that I am thoroughly beaten in this fight.'

She stood up. She looked directly at the hollow, then smiled. She flash-stepped behind the hollow, but the hollow noticed this and turned, swiping down with its claw. It missed however, as Kiyomi flash-stepped back to her original position and lashed at the floor with her whip a few times.

Kenji and his hollow looked at this, confused, as a low rumbling emitted from the ground where she had struck. Before Kenji's eyes, vines started to sprout from the marks on the ground, and they entwined around his hollow, raising it from the ground, slowly being crushed by the vines.

Kiyomi took Kenji's misplaced focus as an opportunity, and flash-stepped behind him. She quickly drew his attention, however, after uttering three words. "Hado 90, Kurohitsugi." A black box formed around Kenji, and then disappeared just as quickly. Kenji fell on his knees, then slowly lay face-down.

Kiyomi sighed. "I'm glad that's over," she said, relieved. "You were so smug and confident that you were going to win that you failed to notice that you told me how to beat you. You had to focus everything you had into controlling and powering the hollow, so when it was taken out of commission, and I attacked you, you couldn't break your concentration without losing your primary weapon for attack."

She walked towards the front door to the building, ready to send a call out to Retsu, when she felt a heavy feeling in her gut. She turned, and saw Kenji slowly standing up. "How...?" she stammered. "That was a level 90 hado spell! It should have killed you on the spot!"

"Well, I may have an ability that you don't know about then!" Kenji laughed, his limp body smoking where he stood. His current pose made him look more insane than he ever had done. "A secondary ability of mine: I gain the powers of whoever is put into the said coma."

"What?" Kiyomi gasped, in disbelief. "No way, that means that since your days in Soul Society, you could be..." Kenji interrupted however, "1000 times as powerful, yes, I know."

He continued to explain his new powers. "This is a nice healing ability I took from a cute little arrancar who called herself Aki," he said, laughing coldly again. "It is called 'Gracia', if I recall correctly."

"Tch, imagine the heresy of you using a sword that translates to 'Grace'," Kiyomi glared. Kenji laughed it off, however.

"I have other abilities, if you want to see them," he said, evilly. "I think this was from an arrancar named Kai and was called 'Negrozanja'." He raised his hand, and a large black ball of energy appeared in front of Kiyomi and then exploded, knocking her back into the wall, and knocking her out.

* * *

Soifon looked back towards Squad 1 HQ. "Dammit! We forgot about the Head Captain!" she yelled. "She's probably being attacked by this loser's leader. Quickly, Marechiyo, we need to move it!"

With that, both Marechiyo and Soifon flash-stepped at full speed towards Squad 1, attempting to make good time.

* * *

Sajin quickly rose out of his make-shift bed. "Captain Seiryoku!" he yelled, looking around. "I sense that your spiritual pressure has fallen drastically. I am coming!" He flash-stepped away, his speed lowered by his injuries.

* * *

Kenji laughed even colder as he stepped slowly up to Kiyomi's prone form. "I almost feel bad about doing this to you," he muttered. "Almost, that is." He raised his hand, ready to strangle her to death with a claw of black energy. "Why is it that all females look so much more attractive when they're about to die?" he mused, laughing to himself.

He suddenly heard a noise behind him. "Terri! No!" Hiroshi yelled, as Terri ran into the room through the window, unsheathing the sword on her left. "Fly, Kazedoragon!" she yelled, and her blade disappeared, only to reform into the head of a dragon made of wind. Kenji looked on, curious.

"Who the hell are you, child?" he snapped, annoyed that he was interrupted. "Tell me now, or your little captain here gets her head chopped off." He motioned to Kiyomi, who was still lifeless.

Terri looked at him, then swallowed nervously. "I am Terri Erika Zakura, for your information," she yelled, faux-confidence leaking from her. "And I implore you to stop attacking Head Captain Seiryoku, she is helpless now, have you no honour?"

Kenji laughed at the last statement. "Girl, if I had honour, we wouldn't be in this situation," he replied. "My honour was taken from me centuries ago."

Kiyomi was groggy, but could hear all of their conversation. 'Zakura?' she asked herself, 'as in former captain Ketu Zakura?'

Terri raised her hand towards Kenji and yelled for the dragon-head to attack. It lunged forward swiping at Kenji, but he merely opened up a black hole in front of him to absorb the wind thrown at him. The dragon-head reformed above Terri, itching for another fight.

"I think I'll need to stop with this charade now," Kenji laughed, raising his own hand as if to strangle Terri. Just as the claw shot out, Hiroshi jumped in the way and was scratched across the chest, knocking him away.

"Hiroshi!" Terri cried. "Why did you do that?" Hiroshi just looked back and smiled faintly. Terri shed a small tear from her eye in worry, but then turned back to Kenji. "Kazedoragon, attack!" she yelled, and the dragon-head lunged forward yet again. Kenji however, just raised his hand and squeezed, a claw of black energy flying out and wrapping itself around Terri's throat.

She struggled slightly, as the claw lifted her clean off the ground. The head of Kazedoragon faded and the sword reappeared on the floor under Terri. Terri slowly started to choke, gasping for some breath of air. She needed an escape from the torture Kenji seemed to be enjoying.

Kenji was so wrapped up in tormenting Terri that he didn't notice a groggy Kiyomi stand up. She grabbed her whip and whispered a word to it. "Synthesise, Tsutasenjo." An emerald green aura enveloped her, healing her minor wounds. She looked at Kenji, and smiled.

She lashed her whip out, wrapping it around the arm that was controlling the energy claw. Kenji was taken by surprise and looked over to see Kiyomi, standing tall. Kiyomi gestured, and the thorns on her whip grew larger, and dug themselves into Kenji's arm. Kenji yelled out in pain, and let go of Terri's throat.

Kiyomi then gestured back, and the whip tore through Kenji's flesh, ripping all of his arm's skin from his tissue, leaving his arm red and raw. Kenji fell to the floor in desperate pain and tore at his haori, making a bandage out of it to stop the blood from flooding out of his arm.

Kiyomi fell to her knee, that obviously having taken the last of her energy. "Ms. Zakura, please finish this fiend!" Kiyomi yelled to Terri. Terri grasped at her throat, then she unsheathed the sword on her right. "Flash, Doragonsumiyaka!" she yelled, no obvious change happening to her or her sword. "Kyokudochisoku!" she yelled again, appearing directly above Kenji. "Hado 33, Soukatsui!" The blue energy crashed into Kenji and he yelled in pain as he fell backwards.

Terri landed and flash-stepped forward, slashing with her sword and knocking Kenji back again. Kenji managed to slash upwards with his sword, creating a wave of fire that forced Terri back and slightly charred her academy uniform.

Just then, Soifon, Marechiyo and Sajin rushed through the door, overlooking the situation. Sajin unsheathed his sword. "Roar, Tenken!" he yelled, stabbing forward, the giant arm stabbing forward also, forcing Kenji into the wall, making him cough up blood.

Soifon then unsheathed her sword. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" Her sword shrunk and fit over her finger. She then rushed forward and stabbed Kenji in his lung. She jumped back to the entrance. "And now for the killing blow!" she said, smiling.

Kenji panicked. He focused his energy around him and released it all, forming a giant garganta that pulled him through and back to Hueco Mundo. Soifon stopped short. "Damn coward," she muttered. "He ran away instead of fighting me one on one."

Kiyomi fell onto her stomach, a thud sounding as she did. Sajin turned quickly to help her up. Soifon walked over to Hiroshi to check his pulse, which was regular, and then walked over to Terri.

"You must be Terri Zakura, huh?" she asked. Terri looked at her, surprised. "Hmm, surprised I know your name, huh? Well, I had a little conversation with Isane about your condition earlier, and she told me everything about you."

Soifon offered her hand to Terri, and Terri took it, pulling herself up. "Is Hiroshi going to be okay?" she asked, worried. Soifon smiled. "Of course he is, we just need to get him to Squad 4 again for some rest, alright?" she answered.

Sajin was carrying Kiyomi in his arms. "We should get these three to Retsu and Isane," he started. "They'll work their magic and they'll be fine in no time."

Soifon nodded. "That is, if everyone else is all healed," she answered. "If not, we're going to have to wait for a while."

Marechiyo walked over to Hiroshi and picked him up, and Soifon placed Terri on her back, all three of them taking the injured to Squad 4.

* * *

Matthew landed on the sands of Hueco Mundo and looked around for an answer. He saw Kenji and walked up to him. "What the hell did you think you were doing, Kenji?" he asked, angry. "I was this close to beating Byakuya Kuchiki, who is probably the second strongest captain in Soul Society. Do you know how detrimental that would've been to them?"

"I ask you to shut your mouth, Matthew, or I will shut it for you!" came the reply. Kenji stood up, his face holding an expression of anger, humiliation and revenge. "If you want to make an enemy in me, you are going the correct way about it."

Maya walked over to Matthew. "Please Mat, come with Maya," she pleaded. "Let Ken cool down, yeah?"

Matthew sighed. "Yeah, sure, whatever," he muttered, walking away with Maya. Kaede and Rei took this chance to walk over to Kenji.

"You activated an emergency evacuation garganta?" Kaede asked, worried. "What happened with Kiyomi?"

"I had that bitch beat," Kenji growled. "And then I was interrupted by this unranked bitch, who for some reason Matthew didn't kill when he attacked the Academy. And for some reason this damn girl beat me in a fight!"

Rei laughed slightly. "Well, you win some, you lose some, right Kenji?" she said. "It's not like we don't have a plan B, is it?"

Kenji growled. "Yes, but plan B works in Soul Society's favour much more than ours..."

* * *

_And so, even though he was beaten, Kenji lives on, and continues to plot to overthrow Soul Society. Not only that, but he already has a 'Plan B'. What is it? And why does it work in Soul Society's favour? Find out soon._

_**Next chapter: **After the sudden and damaging attack by Kenji and his followers, Soul Society needs time to heal. They are given this chance as Kenji readies himself for his next move, in 'Rest & Recuperation', next week._


	12. Rest & Recuperation

**Chapter 11 – Rest & Recuperation**

Kiyomi slowly opened her eyes and flinched as they strained against the light that flooded her room. They finally adjusted and she looked around, realising she was in a hospital room. She groaned as she sat up.

"Retsu!" she yelled, straining her voice. "Retsu, where are you?" The door to her room opened and Retsu walked through, a smile on her face.

"How are you, Captain Seiryoku? Feeling well?" she asked, worry in her eyes. Kiyomi simply lay back and sighed.

"I'm fine, Retsu, just fine," she answered. She quickly looked up at Retsu. "How are the other captains? And the girl? What about the Zakura girl?"

Retsu stared at her, then her face warmed. "The other captains are fine, Captain Seiryoku, and the Terri Zakura is also fine," she answered. "In fact, she is resting in the room next door, if you would like to see her."

Kiyomi slowly picked herself out of her bed, staggering a bit as she touched the ground, and then walked over to the door. She slowly walked to the next door in the corridor, Retsu following, and entered the room.

Terri was lying asleep in the bed at the side of the room, Hiroshi sitting on a seat next to her, asleep also. Kiyomi walked over to her side and looked at her.

"She really does remind me of Former Captain Ketu Zakura," Kiyomi whispered back to Retsu. Retsu answered with a look, so Kiyomi continued. "She is brave enough to fight an opponent much more powerful than herself, and she has the kindness of her mother, Ratiasu, so that she would protect those whom needed it."

"It is true," Retsu answered. "I can feel a virtuous and honest aura surrounding her. In fact, I believe Ratiasu had the same one."

Kiyomi quickly snapped back to the task in hand. "Either way, this girl probably saved my life, so I should take advantage of this chance. How long have I been out?"

"About two days, Captain Seiryoku," Retsu answered. "Other captains have either just had minor wounds, or are recovering from far greater damage – I believe Captain Kurotsuchi had to liquefy himself with his sword."

"Well," Kiyomi mused, walking out of Terri's room, "I'd like a meeting with all captains, including stand-in captains, set for tomorrow, so I would like it if you could notify them all." She stopped as she walked into a large form in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Head-Captain Seiryoku, I didn't see you there!" Sajin apologised, bowing low. Soifon stood next to him, and spoke next.

"We heard that you were up and about, Head-Captain Seiryoku," she explained. "So we came to check up on you."

"I am fine Soifon, Sajin, thank you for your concern," she smiled at them. Retsu closed the door to Terri's room silently behind her, and walked up to them.

"So I assume that Crystal and Raven are up and about then?" she smiled at them. "Otherwise you wouldn't have left their sides, am I right?"

Sajin nodded. "They are fine Retsu," he answered. "Your mastery of healing worked wonders for them, yet again."

Kiyomi was thinking over something, until both Soifon and Sajin noticed this and looked at her, curious. "What are you thinking about Head-Captain Seiryoku?" Soifon asked.

"I am thinking that we need a meeting, tomorrow, 07:00 sharp, to discuss what happened here and what we can do to take advantage of this situation," she answered. "I personally think that we should strike whilst the iron is hot, and Kenji and his subordinates are at their weakest, but I want to know all of your thoughts on this too."

Soifon and Sajin nodded. "I shall go and inform Crystal and Raven of this at once," Sajin bowed as he left and walked down the corridor to the end room, which he entered.

Soifon turned to Kiyomi. "I will go and spread the message on to the other captains, Head-Captain Seiryoku," she bowed, and turned to leave via the other end of the corridor which led to the main hall.

Retsu also bowed and turned to leave. "I need to care for my other patients, captain, so it would be wise if I were to leave now," she explained. "Although I am sure that you will be able to go back to your office with ease, I still want someone to accompany you just in case." She turned to the direction of the main hall. "Hanataro, would you mind coming here please?"

Hanataro swiftly appeared next to Retsu, and he looked at her then Kiyomi, confused. "I would like you accompany Captain Seiryoku back to Squad 1 HQ, Hanataro," she asked. "Is that alright?"

Hanataro nodded. "Um, yes, Captain Unohana," he stammered. "That's completely fine." He turned to Kiyomi as Retsu left. "So Head-Captain Seiryoku, are you ready to leave?"

Kiyomi smiled at him softly. "Yes, Hanataro, let us leave now," she said. "I would like to restart my duties again." Hanataro nodded, and both flash-stepped out of the window towards Squad 1.

* * *

"Ah, so a meeting will be tomorrow at 07:00?" Crystal asked, to make sure she had heard correctly.

Sajin nodded. "Yes, it will be," he replied. "Apparently, we will be discussing whether or not we should strike back now, or when Kenji and his acquaintances are fully healed."

"It seems like a foolish discussion to me," Raven said, flatly. "We should just attack now when they're not expecting it and slay them before they have time to release their swords."

Crystal's face fell. "Do you not think that they are already thinking that we would do that?" she asked. "We'd be falling into their trap."

"Kenji is a smart man, even if he is insane," Raven argued. "He'd likely think that we would think that, and so be ready to plan his next attack."

Sajin chuckled slightly. "And this is why we're having a meeting to discuss this," he said, smiling. He left, closing the door silently as he did. Raven and Crystal looked at each other, awkwardly, in silence.

"Just because we lost to them doesn't mean that we messed up," Crystal broke the silence.

"It does mean that we fail when teaming together," Raven argued back. "And considering our sword's abilities, I'm not that surprised. Light dispels darkness and darkness overwhelms light."

"Whilst that may be true, we were against twins, Rae," Crystal snapped back. "It wasn't either of our faults that we didn't win. It was those two being too in sync with each other, knowing each other's thoughts before they thought them up."

"I'm fully aware what they are capable of, Crystal," Raven answered her, flatly. "But I just can't live with the knowledge that an enemy of mine is stronger than me."

Crystal stood up and walked over to Raven's bed, where he was sat. She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't be that person Rae," she whispered. "You are so much stronger than that. I know that we can beat them, so you don't have to rip yourself apart about this thing." She broke her hug and looked him straight in the eye. "We'll train, but let's not let it get to our heads, alright?" she smiled, softly.

Raven brushed her cheeks with his hands. "You can take command when you want, Crystal," he said, smiling slightly. "And that is why I love you."

* * *

Matthew was dragged by Maya a few yards away from Kenji, so that he could let off some steam. Matthew was annoyed – he was extremely close to beating Byakuya Kuchiki, in his opinion, and Kenji had dragged him into a garganta, effectively forcing him to admit defeat before retreating.

Maya looked at Matthew's anger-filled glare into the distance, and sighed. She then smiled and jumped onto his back. Matthew was forced out of his focus as she almost knocked him over.

"Maya's here to cheer Mat up, right Mat?" she cheered. Matthew's face fell slightly, but then a small, sincere smile appeared.

"Yeah, sure, Maya," he smirked, "whatever you say." Maya cheered and jumped back down to the ground, as suddenly two forms blurred into view before Matthew, one female and the other male.

The male wore normal arrancar clothing, although he wore bandages wrapped around his limbs and his abdomen. His mask consisted of a jackal skull over the top of his head and his eyes. The female wore the normal arrancar clothing, but with the top buttoned over to her right, allowing the bottom of her top to drape in front of her and at her back to her knees. Her mask consisted of a petal-shaped fragment under each eye.

"Lord Matthew," the male said, "we have unfortunate news." He stopped for a bit, but then continued. "Well, unfortunate in one respect, but in the other, I think you'll be slightly happy."

The female spoke now. "2nd Knight Eiji Kitadani and 3rd Knight Kotomi Izayoi have both fallen in battle," she said, solemnly.

Matthew's eyes darkened over when he heard the news, but then he raised his head and smiled wide. "The news about Kotomi is unfortunate," he said. "She was a good friend. Although the news about Eiji is brilliant..." he trailed off.

"Maya's wondering what Mat means," Maya said, confused. "Wasn't Eiji Mat's friend too?"

"What Lord Matthew means is," the male spoke, "that Eiji was one of the most arrogant fools to ever grace Hueco Mundo with his presence. He was so arrogant, that he didn't even bother in battle, which is the true reason why he fell, as he always got so caught up on the fact that I was better than him."

"Quiet Ryo," Matthew commanded. Ryo, the male, stood to attention and nodded. The female giggled slightly. "And Sakura, be quiet also." Sakura, the female, also stood to attention, and was visually embarrassed.

"We may be able to defeat Soul Society," Matthew said, out of the blue. "We just need Kenji to make the correct decision, and then we could storm the soul reaper fools and destroy them!"

Maya smiled as she saw Matthew's mood getting brighter. Ryo and Sakura smiled as they understood what Matthew meant, and Matthew himself had a wide smirk, as he knew what would be coming next if Kenji did the right thing.

* * *

Naomi was sat at Zeo's bedside, tending to him as he shrugged it off. "I'm fine, Nai, come on," he pleaded. Naomi, however, was having none of it, and was currently keeping him down in his bed.

"You need to rest Zeo," she said, sharply. "You got hurt pretty bad by the visored, so you need to stop moving so that Isane can come and heal you completely!"

Zeo sighed. He knew he was beaten. "Yeah, alright," he admitted defeat. He lay down as Isane walked over to him.

"How are you today, Zeo?" she asked, checking on his wounds. Naomi turned to him and gave him a look. Zeo sighed.

"Much better today, Lieutenant Kotetsu," he said, trailing off. "Although I think Izuru needs more attention. He fought harder than I did, so paid for his bravery."

Isane nodded and walked over to the bed next to Zeo's. Just then, Soifon walked up to Naomi. "Naomi, just to say that we have a meeting tomorrow at 07:00, mandatory presence from all captains and stand-in captains," she explained.

Naomi nodded. "I understand," she answered. "We didn't do too well, but if what I heard is true, we could strike when Kenji is weakened, right?"

Soifon nodded, then looked at Zeo and Izuru. "So, how're you two doing today then?" she asked, sincerely.

Zeo stared at her. "Are you serious?" he asked, darkly. "You attack me, and if it wasn't for Captain Ruhodesu, I'd have likely been killed, and then you have the decency to come up and ask how I am?"

Soifon frowned. "I have already told you that my mind was somehow being altered by Kenji and his accomplices," she answered, angrily. "What the hell do you want me to do to stop you from hating me, huh?

"I don't know, maybe apologise?" Zeo smirked. Naomi attempted to scold him for such an idea, but Soifon interrupted.

"Fair deal," she replied, softly. She slowly inhaled. "Then I apoligise to you 3rd Seat of Squad 3, Zeo Oseomartir, for attacking you, out of no fault of your own. I accept any and all judgements you may cast upon me from now on."

She then turned to Naomi and looked her in the eye. "I hope we're still alright," she said. "I didn't mean to do anything drastic." She turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Naomi and Zeo sitting in amazement.

"Did... Captain Soifon just apologise to me?" Zeo asked. Naomi nodded slowly, speechless.

* * *

Rangiku sat at the side of Toshiro, who was staring up at the ceiling, lying in the hospital bed. Rangiku tried to cheer him up.

"Hey, captain, have you heard?" she smiled. "Kenji and his troops got beaten back and are in Hueco Mundo now, isn't that great?"

Toshiro growled. "Yeah, and I missed it all," he muttered. "All because of that damn Kenpachi... and then that damn arrancar!" As he yelled the last word, he strained as his wound pierced him with pain.

Rangiku reached over and stopped him from moving. "The more you move, the more it's going to hurt, and the slower you're going to heal, captain," she scolded.

Toshiro sighed and looked out of the window. "What's the point?" he muttered. Rangiku questioned him, so he continued. "Kenji will just come back again, and again, and again, and we still won't be able to beat him, because of his power."

"What do you mean captain?" Rangiku asked, nervously. "He can be beaten, right? He has a weakness, right?"

"You haven't heard this yet, as the announcement only went out to captains," Toshiro whispered. "But Kenji has an ability to absorb the powers of others. He places his victims in a comatose state and then steals their powers for his own use."

Rangiku was shocked. "You've got to be kidding, right? I mean, that means that he could be..."

"Stronger than I, Captains Seiryoku, Kuchiki, Ruhodesu, Ukitake, Zaraki and Soifon put together, at least," Toshiro interrupted. Silence followed that comment, an awkward silence in which neither wanted to say anything more on the topic.

They were interrupted by the door opening, with Nanao and Retsu walking through the door. Retsu walked up to them and checked on Toshiro's wounds. Nanao started to speak.

"Captain Unohana has informed me of a mandatory meeting for all captains and stand-in captains tomorrow at 07:00 at Squad 1 HQ," she recited. "Apparently, it will be about what to do next about this whole 'Kenji' situation."

"About time she called a meeting up," Toshiro replied, holding in the pain from his wounds as Retsu checked on, then started to heal them. "We may as well start talking about how to most effectively destroy Kenji and his peers."

"Actually," Retsu giggled slightly. "I think she has planned this meeting for tomorrow because Captain Kurotsuchi is still in his liquid state until then."

Toshiro was speechless. "Fair enough, then," he said, smirking, "a pretty logical and agreeable reason."

* * *

Kenji had gathered all of his peers around his large stone throne. The obelisks around the outside were now joined by smaller stones connecting them all up, forming a circle around them all, with the exception of a space for a doorway.

Kaede had sealed her sword, and now Rei was part of her again, and she was standing closest to Kenji, on his right side near the throne. Matthew stood furthest away, glaring at Kenji, whilst Ryo and Sakura stood next to him, awaiting orders. Maya was sitting on the sand in a few feet in front of the throne, looking directly up at Kenji with a large smile on her face.

"It seems we shall have to go to plan B," he said, calmly. "It may work in Soul Society's favour more, but we can also use this to our advantage by springing a few surprises on them, like you two for instance," he said, motioning to Ryo and Sakura, who both smiled slightly as they were recognised.

"Of course, this means that you will face an unknown number of soul reapers at once, but if I am sure of one thing, it will be that Soul Society always partakes in one on one fights, never team fights."

"That is their weakness?" Sakura asked, nervously. Kenji looked at her as she had spoken out, but calmed himself down.

"Yes, it is," he smirked. "It is as simple as that. Now, all of us can team up effectively with each other: Kaede with Rei; Matthew with his snake; Maya with her past and future selves; Ryo with Sakura and finally me with my hollow. This easily beats Soul Society, as they are all too prideful to admit that they need help from each other."

"Yeah, but my attempts to turn them against each other failed, for some reason," Matthew said, annoyed. "So that means that they're a better team than we thought, right?"

"You'd think that," Kenji started. "But I blame your inability to do that task on your incompetence..."

Matthew snarled at that comment, and Sakura and Ryo readied their swords, but Matthew glared at them to back down, and they did so without question. Maya jumped up and cheered.

"Yay! Yay! Plan B! Plan B!" she yelled happily. She stopped and stood there, thinking. "Hey, Ken, what's plan B?"

Kenji's face fell. "You know what plan B is, Maya," he said back, sighing. "Just delve into that tiny little head of yours to fish the answer out."

"Fish?" Maya blinked. "What about fish?" Matthew chuckled slightly and walked over to her to explain.

"He means try to remember for yourself," he whispered. "But just go with it, you'll remember because he'll probably send me first. So you can learn from the best." He walked back over to Sakura and Ryo, who just shrugged.

"And now that that moment of insanity has left us," Kenji continued. "Let us bring upon the dawn of a new world! Tomorrow is when we initiate plan B!"

* * *

All captains, and stand-in captains, had gathered in Squad 1 HQ, with Kiyomi sitting at the head of room, like usual. Toshiro was standing, barely, and swayed slightly from time to time. Raven was standing tall, showing no injury from the landslide that had fallen on him and Crystal. Mayuri was also back, in his full, solid form.

Soifon, Sajin, Kenpachi and Jushiro looked to be the only truly fresh captains, the others having been in fights, or in Retsu's case, up all night healing the injured.

"People, we have a topic to discuss, am I correct?" Kiyomi asked for their attention. Chojiro stood on her right, and was ready just in case she lost consciousness because of lagging head trauma Kenji had given her.

"Kenji and his accursed friends gave us quite a fight, and whilst we came up the overall victors, do not think it is all over yet," she said, seriousness in her tone. "We need to decide what to do. They are now weakened and recuperating, whilst we have also seen better days. I am asking for your opinions before I can make an overall decision based upon them."

"I think we should just run in and destroy them!" Kenpachi yelled, full of adrenaline. "Come on, give it to me this time, would ya?"

"You only want to attack them head-on because you couldn't find any when they invaded, Kenpachi," Byakuya said, softly. He opened his eyes. "We have to speculate that they will think we will do that and will have set a trap for us, in which case it would be foolish to do such a thing."

"And this is exactly where we fall to Kenji's superiority," Raven sighed, making many others look his way with confusion on their faces. "What? Are you wondering what I'm talking about?"

"Tch, you'll probably just spew some random 'leave it all to me' crap that we'll just ignore," Toshiro answered. "So just lay off it, alright Ruhodesu?"

"Please, Hitsugaya, you think little of me," Raven smirked. "It is because we do not fight as a well-oiled machine. Kenji, to my knowledge, uses a hollow in his fights – his own personal hollow. Kaede and Rei are twin sisters who faced Crystal and I in battle. Byakuya and Renji had a similar problem as the arrancar Matthew Richardson used a large serpent to fight with him. And I believe Mayuri had multiple versions of the mod soul to fight."

Everyone listened to his speculation. "Which is why I think that Kenji is focusing on teamwork rather than one on one fights, which means he will most likely use trickery and deceit to come out on top."

"That's exactly what I was thinking, young Raven," Mayuri answered, "which is why I have already drawn up a plan. It shows how we can tackle each of our effective weaknesses whilst assaulting Hueco Mundo and destroying Kenji once and for all."

"I have to admit, that makes a lot of sense," Kiyomi sighed. "But we don't know what any of them actually want. Until we know that, we can't be sure what their next move will be, can we?"

"Which is why we should strike whilst they're weakened, Head-Captain Seiryoku," Soifon answered, gravely. Jushiro shook his head.

"It will most likely be a trap, it is the most logical way that they can take us out now," he said. "If we do not go, we risk not knowing their whereabouts or their next plan for attack, but we avoid being killed straight off. If we do go, we may be able to slay them, but their trap may kill us all."

Silence descended upon the captains and stand-in captains, whilst everyone pondered over Jushiro's ominous logic. Suddenly, what sounded like an inter-com echoed overhead.

_"Everybody, hello! This is your favourite radio DJ Kenji Ito back today and ready to give you all a new sound to listen to... the sound of destruction!" _the voice echoed. _"And hey, a warm welcome to my friend Kiyomi Seiryoku, who should be up and about out of hospital about now. How are you, Kiyomi? Hope I didn't hit your head too hard, did I? Either way, I have a proposition. Listen here, Soul Society. If you allow me to schedule four consecutive fights with you and your best fighters, then the overall winner of those gets to keep Soul Society!"_

"Does he think that we're insane?" Crystal yelled, amazed at his attitude. "This guy is insane!"

_"Please, I am not insane, just misunderstood," _Kenji answered. _"Either way, if you refuse this deal, then I will have to send my army of hollows and arrancar into Soul Society to murder all of you! Your choice, so choose!" _he yelled, coldly. _"If you agree to this message, please meet my first peer at the site of the old Academy a week from now at midday sharp! See you all, doomed Soul Society!"_

Everyone stood silent and still. No-one dared utter a word, everyone shocked by the current threat given to them by Kenji.

Kiyomi stood up, staring into the distance. "A week you say, Kenji?" she asked herself. "That's fine with me, a week it is!"

* * *

_And so Kenji's 'Plan B' comes to light - a series of battles to show who is more worthy of the Seireitei. So, who will be up first to face Soul Society's best? And who from Soul Society will stand up to challenge Kenji and his minions?_

_**Next chapter: **Before the series of matches starts, the squads are ordered by Kiyomi to go into training to get ready. At the same time, Matthew seems to know Kenji well, as he was indeed picked to go first. But who will face the undying arrancar? Find out in 'Training Days'._


	13. Training Days

**Chapter 12 – Training Days**

Everyone stared at each other, not daring to even breathe. Kiyomi looked at them all, rage in her eyes. "Well?" she asked, angered. "Get moving! Start training!"

Raven spoke coolly. "May I interrupt, Captain Seiryoku, and ask who will face their first invader?"

"I shall do it," Byakuya answered almost immediately. "I need to finish the battle that I started with that arrancar fool."

"We don't even know that he will be their first choice," Kenpachi snapped back. "I should go since I didn't get to fight last time around."

"Only because you lost your way," Toshiro muttered. Kenpachi glared at him, but Toshiro just looked away, uninterested.

"This is exactly what Raven explained just a few minutes ago," Kiyomi sighed. "We fight each other more than we fight our enemies. We need to be united against this attack. I shall choose who goes when the time comes, so for now, go off and train."

Everyone nodded, walking towards the large door at the end of the room. They walked out in single file. Kiyomi sighed, and Chojiro turned to her, worried.

"Do not worry, Chojiro," she said weakly. "There is nothing wrong with me. It is just that I feel Kenji may have a large advantage over us. His side has the ability to work well together."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but I cannot release you, not yet," came Retsu's reply. Ikkaku sat up quickly, attempting to retaliate, but fell down again as his wounds opened up. Yumichika sighed.

"Captain Unohana, if you would allow us to leave, we'll get enough rest to fully recuperate," he replied. "We'll do whatever you say - just let us go back to Squad 11."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow that," Retsu answered, sternly. "You two took quite a beating, and I shall need to check up on you until your wounds are healed enough."

Just then, all three were interrupted by the door opening, and the chilling spiritual pressure of Raven looming over them.

"Just let them go, Captain Unohana," he said, coolly. Retsu turned to him, starting to answer back, but was interrupted. "I'm not trying to order you around," he apologised, "it's just that I know what they're feeling; being in Squad 11 means that you live to fight. Resting here is doing them less good than being cut more, am I right?" he explained, the last part aimed at Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Ikkaku nodded. "That's right," he smiled. "Thank you, Captain Ruhodesu." Yumichika nodded also, then stood up. Ikkaku followed suit. "So, if you don't mind captain, we'll go now."

Retsu sighed, then opened their door. "Go ahead," she answered, "but if you get reinjured, you're going to stay here for much longer."

"Yeah, whatever," Ikkaku yelled confidently, as he and Yumichika left, bandaged and bruised. Raven turned to Retsu.

"I came to retrieve Izuru and Zeo," he explained. "Are they ready to be discharged yet?" Retsu nodded, then led him to their room. As he walked in, he saw Zeo in a stance at the side of the room, sword in hand. Izuru was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching.

Raven walked up to Izuru. "How long has he been like that?" Raven asked, curious. Izuru sighed. "Since this morning, it's like he is torturing himself for not doing more against the intruder."

Raven sighed to himself then walked up behind Zeo. "You know, I could tell you where you went wrong," he said, "but that would mean you'd have to train with me and Izuru to actually learn from your mistakes."

Zeo span around quickly, surprised Raven was behind him, and bowed. "I'm sorry Captain Ruhodesu, for not being able to do anything of use."

"You dare bow to me with such a pathetic apology?" Raven said, irritated. "You are coming with Izuru and I, and you are going to be trained to your limits, am I clear?"

Zeo was taken aback. "Um, yes Captain Ruhodesu!" he yelled, slightly shocked. Izuru stood up and walked up to them both.

"Captain, we'll have to go now if what I heard before was true, and that Kenji is sending someone for one of us," he said slowly. "Shall we?"

Raven growled, then turned. "Let's go, Zeo," he mocked. "You've got a lot of work to do." Zeo's eyes narrowed, then he followed both of them.

* * *

Terri's eyes opened slowly and gracefully. She blinked a few times. She looked around her room, and saw Hiroshi asleep at her side, sitting on a stool. She giggled to herself then prodded him on the shoulder, being replied with a loud grunt as Hiroshi stirred.

"Lazy-bones," she giggled to herself. She got up and walked over to her window. The sun shone through gently, warming her heart. "Head-Captain Seiryoku must've won then," she mused. "She must've beaten that evil guy that had the hollow."

Hiroshi woke up with a start. "What?" he yelled in surprise. Terri had jumped as he woke up, and was snarling at him. "Don't scare me like that Hiroshi!" she punched him on the arm, playfully.

"Sorry, just having a dream, that's all," he said, apologetically. "So, you're up, huh?" he asked, seeing Terri standing tall.

"Yeah, why shouldn't I be?" she asked, puzzled. "I heard that you fought that Kenji guy," he replied. "Captain Unohana said so."

"Huh?" Terri answered. "Well, I guess I did," she mused, "though I can't remember much. It was like my instincts took over, you know?"

Hiroshi was silently nodding. Terri quickly changed the subject. "So," she started. "What was your dream about?" she asked, playfully.

Hiroshi jumped slightly. "Um... nothing," he answered. "You wouldn't be interested." He was blushing slightly. Terri's eyes sparked. "Oh, so it was a dream about a girl, huh? Who was it? Lieutenant Kuchiki?"

Hiroshi blushed slightly more. "No, nothing like that!" he answered, backing off a bit. "It was totally different! You can't prove anything, or get anything out of me!"

They were interrupted as Kiyomi walked through the door. "Ah, Ms. Zakura, Mr. Takahashi, I see that you're both up," she smiled. "How was your rest?"

"Um, fine, Head-Captain Seiryoku," Terri answered, bowing. Hiroshi also bowed, but much lower. Kiyomi smiled at them.

"Please, you need not bow," she said. Terri and Hiroshi stood straight again. "Terri, you saved me when I was on the verge of defeat," she said to Terri. "And for that, I thank you." Terri stood there, pleasantly surprised.

"And you, Hiroshi," she continued. "You probably saved your friend, Terri's, life when you took that shot for her. That takes courage." Hiroshi smiled, shocked he was being complimented.

"You two have some power behind you for two academy students, and you both have teamwork on your side also," Kiyomi explained. "And that makes you two a strong force, which is why I need both of your help."

Terri suddenly looked at her, puzzled. Hiroshi spoke up. "Why our help? Wouldn't it be better to get help from Captain Kyoraku or Captain Kurotsuchi?" he asked.

"No, because the help I need involves people who can get along," she said, then crouched down to whisper to them, "and just between you and me, my Gotei 13 Captains cannot get along well together."

Terri giggled slightly, and Hiroshi chuckled. "So I need to train you two," Kiyomi finally told them. "You two have something special, and I think I can bring that out in you. So what do you say?"

Terri and Hiroshi looked at each other. They turned to Kiyomi and smiled. "You've got yourself a deal, Head-Captain Seiryoku!" Hiroshi answered, bowing. Terri bowed too.

"Thank you, my two new students," Kiyomi replied. "Starting tomorrow, your new quarters will be in Squad 1 HQ, so come at 08:00 sharp, alright?"

She turned to leave, and Terri answered with an excited "Yes, Head-Captain Seiryoku!" She turned to Hiroshi. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah, but why us?" he asked. "We didn't show that much power, did we?" Terri shrugged his question off, walked over to her bed and lay down again, yawning.

* * *

"So, you guys are back, huh?" Kenpachi said, displeased. Ikkaku and Yumichika stood before him, bandaged up. "Why should I even let you back? According to reports, you got beat up by a little girl."

"We cannot explain our loss, Captain Zaraki," Ikkaku kneeled down. Yumichika did the same. "We shall do better in our next fight, we promise," Yumichika added. "I won't be beaten by someone so ugly ever again."

"Fair enough," Kenpachi answered. "If you two are serious about getting your acts in gear, then get to the training room and train your asses off!"

Both Ikkaku and Yumichika stood up straight away. "Yes, Captain Zaraki!" they yelled, running off into the barracks.

Kenpachi laughed to himself. "If this little girl that beat Ikkaku and Yumichika is so good, I may have to find her and beat her myself."

* * *

"Captain Kurotsuchi, are you around?" Jushiro yelled out into Mayuri's laboratory. No-one answered, so he let himself in to find him. "Mayuri, you around?" he yelled, his voice echoing back from the metal void.

He walked into a dimly lit room, in which he found Mayuri sitting in a restraining chair, a medical instrument in his right hand, the blade hovering over his left arm. He looked up in surprise as he saw Jushiro.

"Ah, Captain Ukitake, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, obviously disappointed he had been interrupted.

"Um, that's quite alright," Jushiro answered. "I just wanted to know if you had any further information on the mod soul, since you fought her in combat and recorded her abilities."

"Ah, the mod soul," Mayuri replied, setting his scalpel down. He stood up and walked over to a nearby screen. "Yes, I searched for mod souls with abilities known to be similar to the intruder mod soul's, and I got this hit," he said, an information box appearing on the screen.

"This is mod soul #2045," he explained. "She was made, like the rest of the mod souls, to fill out dead bodies, but we destroyed many of them when it was deemed immoral, as you know. At the time, she already had a gigai, and somehow managed to escape the destruction. Apparently, she was found by Kenji and somehow made to think that we were the bad guys." He trailed off. "But anyway, I need to get back to my experiments, so if you please, get out, Captain Ukitake."

Jushiro sweat-dropped, "Alright, alright," he said, defensively. "Although I have to ask, what type of experiments are you doing?"

Mayuri sighed. "My zanpakuto's final ability allows me to liquefy myself, as you know. But when I liquefy myself, I lose all of my upgrades, so I need to upgrade my body yet again." He snapped his last sentence as he pushed Jushiro out of the door. "And I need silence and solitude to do it!" He slammed and locked the door. Jushiro stood there, dazed.

* * *

Matthew stood on top of one of the obelisks surrounding Kenji's throne, the wind gushing in from his right, his hair being blown wildly. He was staring out into the distance. "So I'm the first, am I?" he asked himself. "That's fine, but I want to know who faces me."

He turned quickly as he heard someone walking up behind him. "Maya?" he asked, as he saw Maya's small figure battling against the harsh wind.

Maya jumped high above the tip of the obelisk and landed on Matthew's shoulders. "Maya just wanted to wish Mat good luck for his fight soon!" she said, happily. Matthew smiled as she said that.

"Of course I'm going to win, Maya, there's no question about it," he reassured her. "Just leave the worrying to me, right?"

Maya smiled. "Yessir!" she saluted. She stood up and jumped back down to the desert. Ryo and Sakura suddenly appeared on the obelisks to the right and left of Matthew.

"What do you want?" he asked them. "Can't you see that I'm thinking? I have an important day coming up, one that we cannot afford to lose in."

"We know that, my lord," Sakura apologised. "We were wondering if you are still upset that Kotomi has passed away."

"We know that you liked her, how should I put it, 'spark' for life," Ryo continued. "Or lack thereof for her opponents."

"It is indeed a great tragedy," Matthew answered. "When I met you four, you were but a gang of measly hollows, yet with my aid, you all became so powerful. I didn't think that she, nor Eiji, would fall so easily." He turned to look at them both. "And this is why I urge you to be at your best when you face Soul Society. They have power that even I am not sure of."

Both Ryo and Sakura bowed, then disappeared. Matthew turned back to the horizon. "Power that I may come across in 2 days... the week is almost up."

* * *

Terri and Hiroshi stood in Squad 1's training hall, their swords drawn, facing Kiyomi, whose sword was also drawn and out in front of her.

"Now, you two, come at me," she said, sternly. "And don't be afraid to cut me, I am much tougher than I look, you know."

Terri and Hiroshi nodded. They rushed forwards, slicing down. Kiyomi blocked Hiroshi's blade, then swiftly flash-stepped behind Terri, kicking her forward onto her stomach.

"I am not kidding," Kiyomi continued. "I want you to come at me with rage in your eyes." Terri got up and shook her head.

"I cannot do such a thing against you, Head-Captain Seiryoku," she said, defiantly. "I do not hate you, so I cannot feel rage against you."

Hiroshi stopped her. "Terri, it's not about hating her," he explained. "Rage is an emotion that you feel to avenge someone or to stand up for something you believe in that someone has ridiculed. It doesn't necessarily mean that you hate the person."

Kiyomi nodded. "Hiroshi is correct," she added. "And also, I am your sensei, so you will do what I tell you to. When you have become strong enough, you may be able to order me around, but not until then, you hear?"

Terri stood up and dusted herself off. Her face looked straight at Kiyomi, her eyes narrowing and a small smile appearing on her lips. "I understand Head-Captain Seiryoku, now get ready!" She ran in to stab at Kiyomi, and Kiyomi smiled.

* * *

"Come at me, Renji, with everything you have," Byakuya spoke. Renji growled and smiled at his captain. "Whatever you say, Captain Kuchiki!" he roared, drawing his sword. "Howl, Zabimaru!" his sword extending into its shikai, being swung almost instantly at Byakuya, who merely jumped back a few feet to avoid.

"You must do better than that, Renji, come now," Byakuya replied to the attack. "That was bad, even for you."

Renji growled and swung again. His sword missed again, and Byakuya appeared behind him in a flash, pressing the hilt of his sword against the back of Renji's neck. Renji's eyes narrowed in defeat.

"You're losing your touch, Renji," Byakuya spoke, softly. "This is not a good thing 2 days before the first of Kenji's peers come. I didn't choose you as my lieutenant for you to be this weak, did I?"

Renji fell to his knees in defeat. Byakuya sighed. "Come now, Renji, stand up. It appears we have quite a bit of work to do before these 2 days are up."

* * *

"Zeo, come on, put some effort into it!" Raven yelled, as Izuru slashed down at Zeo, forcing him to block quickly. Zeo glared slightly at Raven, then went back to the fight. He ran up to Izuru, but he jumped overhead, releasing his sword.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!" he yelled, his sword bending over on itself, to form the squared hook. "Alright, Zeo, watch out!" he added, as he fell to the ground with a slash to Zeo's sword.

Zeo's arm was dragged down slightly as his sword gained weight. Raven growled slightly and jumped into the fight. Zeo looked at him, confused.

"Now, if you can fight me off, I'll tell you that you're getting somewhere, does that sound fair?" he asked.

Zeo nodded, smirking. He raised his sword and closed his eyes. 'Come on,' he thought. 'If there's ever been a time that I've needed to learn your name, this is it.' He slowly opened his eyes.

"Learned its name yet, then?" Raven said, smirking. "If not, this is going to be a cakewalk for me." He raised his sword and yelled its release command. "Delete, Kujotenshi!" The sword elongated into the scythe, and Raven rushed forward to slash Zeo's abdomen.

Zero smiled. "You know, I think I just found a way to beat you, Captain Ruhodesu..." he laughed.

* * *

Kiyomi sat at her usual seat at the head of the room, the other captains aligned parallel to each wall, facing each other. She sighed and stood up.

"The one I choose to go this time shall be you Byakuya," Kiyomi said. Byakuya nodded.

"I understand, Captain Seiryoku, and I shall do my best," he answered. "Does this also mean that I should have Renji come with me, if Kenji plans to team up against me?"

Kiyomi nodded. "That is exactly what I was planning to say, thank you for making my job all the more easier." She looked at the other captains. "This is only the first of four battles, Kenji said. If that is the case, pretty soon we shall be rid of him forever. So I don't want you resting until that is done, and that is an order!"

The other captains nodded, and Byakuya walked calmly out of the building, closing the door behind him. "Renji," he spoke softly, and Renji appeared behind him, kneeling down.

"So does that mean we were picked to fight first, Captain Kuchiki?" Renji asked, intrigued.

"It does, Renji," Byakuya replied. "And this means that you cannot show any weakness – nothing that Kenji or his peers can take advantage of, do you understand?"

"I do, captain," Renji answered, standing up, then both swiftly flash-stepped away to the academy ruins.

* * *

They both arrived at the ruins and looked around, expecting a surprise attack. Renji got irritated by waiting quite quickly, and so yelled out to draw his enemy out.

"Hey, where are you, huh?" he mocked. "Too scared to face us?" Byakuya hushed him, and sensed around him as a familiar spiritual disturbance appeared.

A large garganta opened straight in front of them, with Matthew Richardson stepping out, clapping sarcastically. "Absolutely brilliant!" he yelled, excited. "I got you two again! And looks like you were smart enough to bring someone along, Captain Kuchiki, since you don't want both me and my snake to tango with your guts, do you?"

"Silence, you insolent arrancar," Byakuya ordered. "You retreated last time, so that battle did nothing. This time you shall feel the sting of my blade."

"And the jaws of mine!" Renji added, growling. Matthew merely shrugged their words off.

"You two talk too much, now please, if you would, draw your damn zanpakutos and let's get this fight started!" he yelled, smirking.

* * *

_Well, it appears that the battle between these three will finally come to a conclusion after it being prematurely finished first time around. Also, since it's the Easter Holidays (capitaled for importance), I decided to post one up mid-week. Especially since the tension's building up. Anyway, review back, if you want._

_**Next chapter: **It's the second match in a row between Renji, Byakuya and Matthew, and this time they're all going to have their work cut out for them, as they've all brought their A-games. Read on in a chapter I like to call 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge', coming to you this Saturday._


	14. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

**Chapter 13 – Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge**

Renji and Byakuya stared Matthew down, and vice versa, the wind breezing past them, bringing a dark chill to the air. The sun shone down but was hidden by the ruins of the academy, shadowing their area.

Matthew smirked. "Nice place for a fight, right?" he laughed, coldly, "the place where I started this whole thing."

"You are a heartless fiend, and therefore we have no other choice but to destroy you," Byakuya said, slowly, starting to draw his sword. Renji did the same, glaring at Matthew. Matthew saw this and smirked, grasping his own hilt.

"So, you're starting to get into the feel of the fight?" he said, nodding at their swords. "Good, I've been _dying_ for a challenge."

"Don't be so cocky, arrancar," Renji yelled at him, annoyed. Byakuya shot Renji a stern look. "Renji, do not be so reckless, he wants you to become angered."

Matthew laughed to himself. "Of course I do!" he answered. "And it makes it all the more fun because this idiot always falls for it!" Renji growled again, but held it in when Byakuya held his hand to him.

Matthew drew his sword and raised it in front of him. "Now, Tear my enemies to shreds, Rey del Reptils!" The sword wound tightly around his arm and fused with it. His skin glossed over, becoming silver and scaled. Wings and a tail sprouted from his back, and his snake grew from the jawbone wrapped around his shoulder. The snake grew out and released itself from Matthew's arm, curling around on itself, as if to attack.

"How's this for fun, huh?" Matthew smirked, showing fangs set in his jaw. "You get to face my serpentine friend, and I can tell he's hungry for some souls." As if to agree, the snake flicked its tongue out once.

"Hah," Renji laughed. "I remember that thing from last time, and let me tell you, my Zabimaru is more than ready to take it on!" He raised his zanpakuto and slid his hand down the blade. "Howl, Zabimaru!" His sword extended into its shikai form and he slashed it down, it extending out to the large serpent and attempting to damage it.

The snake suddenly slid to the left to dodge, and lunged forward quickly. Renji rolled sideways to avoid its jaws, and then slashed down again. Byakuya looked at them out of the corner of his eye, and then turned back to Matthew. "Scatter, Senbonzakura!" he whispered, and his sword dissolved into small petal-like blades, glowing pink.

Matthew laughed. "Thinking of getting into action yourself?" he asked, smirking. "Fine by me, come at me!" He readied his claws and jumped down, scratching at Byakuya, who merely jumped back and gestured towards Matthew, blades flying towards him. Matthew raised his arms to defend himself, the blades smashing into them and scratching him up.

He was forced back a couple of feet, then lowered his arms. He smirked. "Not bad, Captain Kuchiki," he laughed. "Not bad at all." His pupils flickered vertical for a second, then he charged back into battle.

* * *

Hiroshi was flash-stepping towards the academy ruins, followed closely by Terri, as he was dragging her along with him. "Come on Terri, stop lagging behind," he moaned. "If we want to help, we should go and see if they need backup."

"But Hiroshi," Terri argued, "that Kenji guy said that it should be a one on one fight and nothing more. This will be dishonourable otherwise."

"What? Are you kidding me?" Hiroshi asked, surprised. "Are you serious in thinking that Kenji will stick to his word? He may send people to give Captain Kuchiki the jump, so we need to be there just in case."

"But Hiroshi..." Terri trailed off, beaten. She then snapped back into focus. "Fine," she continued, "but if we get found out and attacked ourselves, you'll be in big trouble, and not just with Head-Captain Seiryoku."

They flash-stepped for a while longer in silence, until they came to the academy ruins, and quickly hid behind a large pile of rubble. Hiroshi looked above the rubble and surveyed the situation. He quickly came back down to Terri's level.

"Lieutenant Abarai is fighting a giant snake, apparently," he started. Terri looked at him, disbelieving. "I'm not kidding," he replied. "And Captain Kuchiki is..." he continued. "Well, he's fighting the arrancar that attacked the academy."

Terri's eyes widened with shock as he said those words, but then put her hand over her mouth to hold her gasp in. She moved to be in view of the scene, and her vision flickered over to Matthew, fighting Byakuya, his claws stretching out in hunger. She moved back and started breathing heavily, scared for her life.

* * *

Renji jumped back a few feet, then sliced down with his sword yet again. The snake swiftly dodged it and then lunged forward, its jaws open. Renji jumped up and slashed his sword down again, barely scratching the snakeskin.

"What? It did nothing?" Renji asked himself. He cursed under his breath. "Alright then," he muttered, "Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru!" Spiritual energy erupted from his sword, and when the light and smoke cleared, a large, skeletal snake stood behind Renji, emanating from his hilt. Hihio Zabimaru roared, and Matthew's snake quivered in fear slightly, but regained its composure, and lunged yet again at Hihio Zabimaru, clamping its jaws around its neck.

Hihio Zabimaru responded with a bite around the neck of its own, and both released their attacks and faced each other down again. Renji smirked and gestured with his hilt, guiding Hihio Zabimaru to coil around the back of the snake, then clamp its jaws around the snake's neck again. The snake screeched in reply, and suddenly grew wings, flying into the air.

Hihio Zabimaru had no choice but to let go, and Renji started to get annoyed. "Damn it! What's with the wings?" he yelled to the snake, which was hovering overhead, apparently enjoying its situation. "Fine then," Renji continued, "Hihio Zabimaru, how about we give it a little Higa Zekko!"

Hihio Zabimaru quickly separated into separate segments, hovering in the air around the large winged serpent. They noticeably sharpened and flew straight at it, cutting into its flesh. It screamed in pain and fell to the ground with a large crash. Hihio Zabimaru formed behind Renji again, and roared in victory.

"Heh, looks like I did it then," Renji smiled, admiring the impact crater that had formed. The dust cleared, but the snake was still up, its head ready to strike. "What? You're still alive? Well, I can fix that!" Renji shouted to it, getting overconfident.

The snake raised its jaw, a large ball of energy appearing. A slow, seemingly mocking tone emanated deep from within the snake's throat. "Gran rey cero..." it hissed, the cero firing at Renji swiftly, blasting him back into a pile of rubble.

* * *

Byakuya glanced for a second at Renji, and in that second Matthew took his chance, slashing at Byakuya's abdomen. Byakuya had to jump back at the last second, his haori being ripped. He then gestured, and the small blades of Senbonzakura flew at Matthew, cutting him up again. It made no difference however, as Matthew's smile widened as he was hurt more.

"Don't you see that I am now more powerful than you could ever imagine?" he smirked. "I dare say that I am on par with the former Primera Espada of Aizen's army, wouldn't you agree?"

Byakuya just closed his eyes, shrugging off Matthew's comment. "I highly doubt it," he answered. "Whilst you may be able to hold your own against my shikai, my bankai will be an extremely different story, so let us witness it, shall we?"

He reformed his sword, and turned it blade-first towards the ground. He dropped it, uttering the words "Bankai. Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," as it melded into the ground. Two rows of swords rose up at either side of him, dissolving into numerous blades that flowed all around him.

"Are you afraid? This is my bankai," Byakuya said, slowly. "Be honoured, as this will be your final sight before I send you to Hell, where you belong." He gestured around him, and the small blades gathered, forming large pink swords in the rows surrounding both Matthew and him.

"I don't know, I think I'm still strong enough to destroy you, with ease," Matthew smirked. "You see, all of these souls that I've absorbed have given me power beyond belief. After Usaitar was destroyed, I thought that I had no more options, but I travelled from place to place; be it Hueco Mundo or the human world, absorbing souls on a regular basis; be them hollows, humans or stray soul reapers, and these souls have now allowed me to become immensely powerful!"

Byakuya did not even take any notice of Matthew's speech. "Senkei," Byakuya whispered. Matthew looked around curious. As if to answer, Byakuya explained. "This is one ability of my bankai. Senkei is one that I usually only reveal to those who I have sworn to kill with my own hand. You should feel honoured."

"Yeah," Matthew replied. "I don't think 'honoured' is the word I would use." He smirked and raised his arm towards Byakuya. "Tosigo Uno - Parálisis," he said, an arrow-shaped barb firing from under his wrist, and hitting Byakuya squarely in the right shoulder.

Almost immediately, Byakuya's right arm fell, lifeless. "What is this trickery?" he asked, glaring at Matthew. Matthew merely laughed and used sonido to appear behind Byakuya. Byakuya saw this coming and turned on his heel, a sword appearing in his left hand. He stabbed forward, and the sword ran through Matthew's abdomen, causing blood to fall to the ground.

Matthew struggled to force it out, and then backed off, grasping his wound. Byakuya took this opportunity and clenched his fist, the swords forming a large sphere around Matthew. "Gokei," he said. The swords stabbed down, forcing themselves into Matthew's flesh, and a loud scream echoed throughout the area.

The dust cleared and Byakuya began to turn away to retrieve Renji. However, Matthew was still standing, holding his previous skin that he had just ripped off. "Remember my healing ability? Skin shedding?" he asked, smirking.

"I did, and I had a feeling that you would do such a thing," Byakuya answered, "which is why I planned this. Shukei," he said, a large glowing sword appearing in his left hand. "Hakuteiken." Wings and a halo appeared on Byakuya's person, drastically increasing the shine in the area. He rushed forward, the sword aimed for Matthew's abdomen.

Just as it was about to hit, Matthew smiled wide. "Tosigo Diez – Milas!" Numerous arrow-shaped barbs appeared from under his scales and were projected out at a high velocity into Byakuya, piercing his body and forcing him to the ground. His bankai faded quickly and he lost consciousness.

"Heh, never underestimate your opponent, Captain Kuchiki," Matthew laughed. "You may get more than you planned to."

* * *

Hiroshi and Terri were scared stiff behind the rubble, not daring to make a sound. They nodded to each other to run away, but were cut off as two arrancar jumped in front of them.

"Hey Ryo, looks like we found some snoopers," Sakura giggled. "What're we going to do with them?"

"Well, we should get them to Lord Matthew first and foremost, and then we can deal with them ourselves," Ryo answered. "But first, let our Lord's serpent destroy that Abarai fool."

Terri and Hiroshi fell back onto the rubble, hopelessness in their eyes, and fear on their faces.

* * *

Renji slowly got up, Hihio Zabimaru crouching behind him, awaiting command. He growled at the serpent, who just hissed. "So, you can talk, huh?" he asked it.

The snake nodded. "Just some words..." it hissed, the 's' in each word prolonged. "Like taunts, and others..." It laughed softly, then raised its head, ready to fire another cero.

Renji raised his hilt and gestured for one last attack. "I'm not letting a mere slave like you get the best of me! Hihio Zabimaru, Hikotsu Taiho!" Hihio Zabimaru's jaws opened, and a large spiritual energy formed, gaining in strength by the second. The serpent's cero was almost ready, and it raised its head to fire.

Hihio Zabimaru raised its own head for a counterattack. "Gran rey cero..." the serpent hissed. "Hikotsu Taiho!" Renji yelled. Both energy blasts met in the middle, the waves of force pushing both back into rubble, but knocking Renji out and barely damaging the serpent.

Hihio Zabimaru disappeared, and the serpent slithered back over to Matthew, who deactivated his resurrection, the snake fusing back into his arm and his sword appearing in his hand.

* * *

Sakura and Ryo appeared in front of Matthew, with Terri and Hiroshi held under their arms. Sakura smiled. "My Lord, look what we found!" She pushed Terri forward, who fell flat on her face and coughed as the wind escaped her lungs.

"I was wondering when you would make your move," Matthew smiled. "Since I sensed your presence from about when you arrived."

Hiroshi's eyes narrowed. "Let Terri go," he said, confidently. Matthew laughed slightly. Hiroshi cleared his throat. "I said, let Terri go."

"Hmm, are you talking kid?" Matthew asked, unimpressed. "Here's a little fact, kid, I only left you alive at the academy so that you could tell Soul Society of my presence, and because I felt something different about you two." He lowered his face to their level. "You two have something different, you have something that I despise – purity. You two are pure in your morals and your spiritual pressure shows it."

"What do we do with them, my Lord?" Ryo asked, bowing. Matthew turned and walked away from them, thinking. "Heh, maybe we should take them hostage or something..." Matthew mused.

Terri struggled to kneel. "No... no-one will dare bail us out," she said, defiantly. She smiled. "Head-Captain Seiryoku believes that we can take care of ourselves, so she will believe that we can get out of this situation, meaning that your 'hostage situation' wouldn't work."

"That's true," Matthew said to himself. "Good point." Byakuya strained his eyes, trying to open them. He stared at the scene, his vision blurred. "Takahashi... Zakura... get out of here."

Matthew turned to Byakuya, then looked at Terri. "Of course, Zakura, that's where I recognise you from," he said. "You're that Zakura's kid, right? And Usaitar's sister?"

Terri looked at him, confused. "You know my parents?" she asked, curious. Matthew laughed.

"Know them? I was a recurring enemy to them," he said, musing over memories. He then turned to her, an evil smirk on his face. "And they still couldn't kill me."

Hiroshi stood up, having had enough. "I said, let Terri go!" he yelled, back-kicking Ryo in the abdomen and pushing him back. He drew his sword, then ran his first two fingers down the blade.

"Rust away, Ouja no Fushoku!" he yelled, his blade dulling into a brown colour and dissolving, floating around him, swaying in the breeze. He gestured, and the brown powder flew at Matthew, shaping into a point. Matthew laughed and raised his sword to block.

The brown powder returned to Hiroshi's side, and he smiled. "You are idiotic, you know that?" he said, almost laughing. Matthew glared at him as he said that. "Didn't you hear what my zanpakuto's name was?" Hiroshi asked. "Ouja no Fushoku, or Corrosion King, it slowly corrodes or rusts any material it comes in contact with; be it steel, brick or flesh."

Matthew looked down at his sword, which was slowly turning brown from the mark in which the powder had struck it. He growled and glared at Hiroshi, readying his claw to scratch at him.

He was suddenly stopped as a thorny whip hit him on the hand as it closed in on Hiroshi. He looked up to see Kiyomi standing on the largest pile of rubble, arms crossed, and a glare set on Sakura, Ryo and Matthew.

"A one on one battle, and what do I see?" she asked, "A gang-up on my soul reapers. So like someone like Kenji to go back on their word."

Matthew looked down at his hilt – all that remained of his sword – and nodded towards Ryo and Sakura. "Let's go," he said. "We don't have a chance against Captain Seiryoku with my reduced powers, even if you both have your resurrections."

Ryo and Sakura nodded slowly, and opened a garganta behind them. They walked through, with Matthew following, but turning to Kiyomi before he left. "Oh, and Captain Seiryoku, I believe that when a soul reaper's bankai disappears, it means that they are close to death," he said. "Well, both Captain Kuchiki's and Lieutenant Abarai's bankais have disappeared, so I'd check on them pretty quickly, otherwise you'll have two more spots to fill in the Gotei 13."

He laughed as he walked through the garganta, it closing behind him in a large gust of wind. Kiyomi quickly snapped into action, flash-stepping down to check on Byakuya, then Renji.

"Retsu! Isane!" she yelled, both appearing behind her instantly. "I need help with these, they're failing fast!" Retsu and Isane stepped up to them and picked them up, flash-stepping back to Squad 4.

Kiyomi walked up to Terri and picked her up. "Are you alright?" she asked her, sweetly. Terri looked at her and nodded, slowly. Kiyomi smiled, and then walked over to Hiroshi.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, bewildered, "Running straight into trouble like that? Doing so against my orders? Almost getting yourselves killed?"

Hiroshi looked down at the ground, speechless. Kiyomi merely sighed. "You're lucky that I'm nice, Hiroshi, otherwise I'd be down on you like your Head-Captain and sensei should be!"

Hiroshi sighed in relief and rejoined Terri at her side. Kiyomi looked at them in the eyes. "Now, you two, get back to Squad 1 HQ, got that?" Both Hiroshi and Terri nodded, and flash-stepped back, silent.

* * *

Matthew stepped through the garganta into Hueco Mundo, Maya instantly jumping into his arms, happy that he was back.

"We were successful, sir," Matthew said, Kenji smirking slightly. "Though, those two academy brats got in our way again."

Kenji's face fell. "It was your fault that they were kept alive in the first place, Matthew, so it only serves you right that they got in your way. But good job on winning, at least you can do something right..."

Matthew growled. "Yeah, but at the cost of my sword," he muttered. "No more resurrection for me, I guess."

Kenji smirked. "What are you talking about?" he said, faux-kindness in his voice. "I'm letting you off into the human world, actually, so you can absorb some more souls. I want you at your strongest, so I need you to make a new resurrection, can you do that?"

Matthew stood, pleasantly surprised. "Yes, that will be fine, Kenji," he said, bowing. Ryo and Sakura stepped forward. "If you don't mind me asking, Kenji," Sakura asked. "What happens next?"

"Well, we wait until tomorrow, then give Soul Society another message," he started. "And then Kaede and Rei will be able to show off their true power." He started laughing, coldly. Kaede smiled evilly, and the arrancars merely nodded, Maya still holding onto Matthew's leg, smiling.

* * *

_And so round one is over, Matthew having gained some degree of revenge, and he incapacitated two of the seireitei's most powerful soul reapers to boot. Still, he did it all at the cost of his sword, with Hiroshi showing a surprising feat of skill, or perhaps just dumb luck._

_**Next chapter: **Kaede and Rei get to show how powerful they really are, and they set up a meeting that one of our Gotei 13 captains just can't refuse. But will his premeditated strategy pay off, or will Kaede and Rei's sounds prove too much for him? Find out next time, in 'Slightly Off-Tempo'._


	15. Slightly Off Tempo

**Chapter 14 – Slightly Off-Tempo**

The remaining captains and stand-in captains were stood, lined up, with Kiyomi surveying them, noticeably stressed.

"Okay, people," she started, "Byakuya and Renji have been taken to and healed at Squad 4 by Retsu and Isane who, I must say, have outdone themselves this time around." Retsu smiled as she was complimented, and Kiyomi continued. "But still, Kenji defeated us in the first round, although this doesn't mean he will win the war. The next fight is coming up, and soon I expect him to contact us to tell us when and where."

As if in reply, the echoing voice appeared overhead. _"And I'm back, your favourite prime-time radio DJ, Kenji Ito!"_ Kenji said, almost mocking them. _"My staff and I have a message for the fallen – Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai – in that we tell them not to give up hope, as victory can still be taken even if they failed miserably!"_ Laughter in the background followed that comment, sounding as if Sakura and Maya were giggling with each other.

"Just get on with it already!" Kenpachi growled, impatiently. Soifon turned to him and scolded him. "Patience is a virtue, Kenpachi," she snapped. "Let's hear what he has to say." Kenpachi mumbled something under his breath and stood there, noticeably bored.

_"As I was saying, the next battle over Soul Society will take place at the Northern Gate, where my next warrior fought last time. She apparently thinks it was a perfect battlefield, so I'll just take her word for it. Either way, this battle will be today at noon, so be prepared whoever comes forth!"_

With that, the voice disappeared, leaving the room silent. Raven broke the silence. "Permission to speak captain?" he asked Kiyomi, who nodded. He turned to the others. "This opponent Kenji is talking about is one I have already faced, and Crystal can back me up on this," he explained, turning to Crystal, who nodded confidently.

"This female is the visored, and is not only one female, but twins who were, for some reason, combined into the one soul-form on arrival into Soul Society. I believe they even entered the academy, and that even Mayuri knew of them," he continued, glaring at Mayuri, who simply shrugged it off.

"As a former opponent of her – or them," he continued, turning to Kiyomi, "I am expressing my wish to be their opponent this time around also." Kiyomi's brow rose slightly, in consideration.

"I think you will be a fitting soul reaper for the job, Raven, but you should also take backup," Kiyomi answered, worried. "As if this is anything like Byakuya and Renji's fight, there will be extra help for them."

Raven nodded and bowed. "Point taken, Captain Seiryoku," he replied, returning to his place in line. Kiyomi stood up and took a commanding presence at the head of the room. "Now, I want you all to get ready, as I don't even dread to think what Kenji has in store for us if we lose this fight, let alone the fight itself."

* * *

As everyone left Squad 1's meeting hall, Crystal caught up to Raven, Naomi behind her, looking worried.

"And who're you getting for backup?" Crystal asked, curious. "Your best bet is with either Naomi or me, so just ask us and stop being so damn proud!"

Raven turned to her, smirking slightly. "I know that that would be our best bet," he admitted. "But truthfully, they would be expecting as much, and would have something planned for when we do exactly that. So, my choice of backup will be a surprise to both my allies and my enemies, giving them no unfair advantages."

Crystal was speechless, and lowered her head, her hair overshadowing her eyes. A small tear fell from her face. She looked up at Raven, who had a confident spark in his eye. She smiled slightly. "Just don't die, right?" she asked, laughing softly.

Raven smirked back. "Of course I won't," he answered. "Do you not remember who you're talking to?" and with that, he flash-stepped off towards Squad 3 HQ.

Naomi smiled at Crystal as she fumed slightly at Raven's last comment. "Hey, he's always been confident, right?" she asked. "Just let him do what he wants – he's the best tactician out of the three of us, so only he'd know what he's thinking."

Crystal smiled back, slightly relieved. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said, wiping her eye. Naomi put her hand on Crystal's shoulder. "Come on, let's go train then," she said, confidently. "I'll put money on the fact that we'll be needed sooner or later." Crystal nodded, and they both flash-stepped towards Squad 9 HQ.

* * *

A garganta opened up at the Northern Gate, and Kaede stepped out, wearing a new outfit. It consisted of a small, sleeveless jacket, showing a fair amount of cleavage, with form-fitting capri pants and knee-high leather boots. All of her clothing had a two-tone colouring, the left side coloured dark purple and the right side coloured light pink.

She smirked as she sensed a familiar spiritual pressure coming towards her. She licked her lips. "Mmm, Captain Ruhodesu, please come at once," she said, her flirtatious tone back. "I'm all ready to dance, I'm just awaiting my dance partner."

After three or four minutes of waiting, tension growing in her, Raven appeared in front of her, standing tall, scythe in hand. Kaede looked around, confused. "What, no girlfriend?" she asked. "Does this mean that we get to do this alone?" she put emphasis on the word 'alone'.

Raven growled. "Quit the act and draw your sword, visored," he ordered. "Filth such as yourself has no business in Soul Society." Kaede smirked wide. "I love a man who takes charge," she said, giggling. "Why do you think I got Kenji to say that the fight would be here and why do you think I got dressed up like this?" she asked, turning around to give Raven a better look.

Raven merely brushed her advances off, smirking. "I've brushed off Crystal's advances for years, I think I can handle your faux-advances." This made Kaede's face fall. "So you saw through my act?" she asked, sweetly.

"Of course I did," Raven answered. "You were thinking that you could play on my 'human' side – the side that has weaknesses like Lust. Unfortunately for you, I was once part of Squad 11, where I was given a 'warrior' side – one devoid of any emotion other than joy at ripping people apart."

"Alright then, honey, let's get this party started!" Kaede yelled, smiling, the skeletal geisha mask covering the left half of her face appeared, its face twisted into a wicked grin. She drew her sword and clutched it in her right hand.

Raven surveyed her transformation, before speaking up. "That must mean that the conscious I am talking to now is Kaede, and not Rei," he said. This made Kaede freeze. "You... you can tell who is who?" she asked, shocked.

Raven nodded, then started to explain. "You see, I've been wondering about this for a while, and I've finally figured it out a couple of days ago. When Rei was in control, and your hollow mask appeared, it was in the position of Kaede's and was the normal geisha-like mask. Now, when Kaede is in control, the mask is Rei's, the twisted version, on the left side. So when you activate your hollow powers in the one body, you are basically calling your sister out as a weapon."

Kaede smiled evilly. "Brilliant powers of deduction," she laughed. "But what good will it do you?" She raised her sword and her eyes widened. "Separate and balance, Futagoza Kyoushin!" Kaede's body split apart, Kaede appearing on the right and Rei on the left, each bearing her own sword. When the light dimmed down, Raven saw clearly that Kaede's clothes were completely pink and Rei's were completely purple.

Both Kaede and Rei smiled at Raven. "You're now staring down two opponents with equal spiritual pressure to you, and you're not scared?" Rei laughed, evilly. "You're really something else, Captain Ruhodesu!"

"I have learned not to let emotions get the better of me," Raven replied. "I am not affected by fear – it has no place in my life. But for you, I expect it is pretty important," he smirked, flash-stepping behind them and slashing with his scythe.

They both saw this coming and dodged, jumping forward and turning to face him again. They clashed their swords together, and created a 'Resonance Wave' which hit Raven squarely in the abdomen, sending him flying back into the rock wall surrounding the area. He fell to the ground and coughed blood up, struggling to get up with his scythe.

"I almost forgot about that," Raven smirked, blood visible at the corner of his mouth. "But I won't forget it a second time." He instantly flash-stepped behind them, then slashed, but Rei and Kaede both back-flipped over him to stab him themselves. Raven smirked and disappeared.

Suddenly, a kido blade shot down from the top of the rock wall above Kaede and Rei, and they had to dodge at the last moment. They looked up to see Raven standing in mid-air, scythe on shoulder.

"Not bad, visoreds," he admitted. "Not bad at all. I see you haven't lost any skill since we last battled," he said, smirking. "And now that the pleasantries are gone, I'd like us to move to a more fitting mood." He disappeared and a blur flashed past Rei, slicing her in the back, making her fall to her knees.

"That mood is panic – for you two at least," Raven laughed, appearing again behind them. Kaede turned to him and growled, then rushed at him with her sword, slicing at him. Raven stepped back and blocked with his staff, then parried the attack to counterattack with his blade, ripping the front of Kaede's jacket.

She stepped back and tended to Rei, whilst feeling over where Raven hit her. "Damn," she cursed, "when did you get so damn good?" Rei was slightly taken aback at Kaede's anger, but then stood up, grasping her shoulder.

Kaede calmed down and then they both took a stance next to each other, sword tips touching. "Now," Rei started, "Otonami!" Kaede took over "Dosuu, 20%!" she finished. The blades shone faintly and a large beam shot out, knocking Raven back into the rock wall.

A large wound was starting to scar into Raven's chest, and blood was continually seeping out of his mouth. He flinched in agony as the beam didn't stop pounding into his chest.

Kaede was slightly mournful. However, Rei was loving it. "Now, Dosuu, 50%!" she yelled, the beam intensifying and causing Raven to scream out in agony. Kaede looked at her sister with shock. "What are you doing Rei? Raven did not wrong us, we have no reason to kill him!" Rei glared at her sister. "But he did, and is, standing in our way of revenge, so he did wrong us!"

Kaede was defeated, and hung her head. She then stared at Raven, who was close to unconsciousness, and sighed. "As you wish, dear sister," she said, clearly not happy. She focused and the beam intensified even more. Rei turned to Kaede with a smirk on her face. "See? This frequency is doubled now that you're putting some power in!"

Raven gritted his teeth to force the pain down. He suddenly smirked and shouted out to nowhere. "Izuru, Zeo, now is the time!" In no time at all, both Kaede and Rei were on the floor, sword wounds in their backs. The beam stopped and Raven fell to the ground, panting. A circular wound was engraved on his chest, and his uniform was thoroughly torn. Izuru and Zeo appeared on either side of him and helped him up.

"Are you alright, Captain Ruhodesu?" Izuru asked, staring at Kaede and Rei, as they attempted to stand up. Zeo stepped forward and raised his sword, smirking. "You think you can just attack our captain? I think not," Zeo taunted, slowly grasping another hilt that was at his waist.

Rei stood up and laughed. "Alright, now the party has started!" she yelled. Kaede stood and looked at them. "How did you come without us knowing?" she asked them, disbelieving.

Raven laughed softly, holding his chest as Izuru slowly healed it. "My shikai allows me to cloak my spiritual pressure, to make me better at stealth," he explained. "But what if I was to hide someone else's spiritual pressure? Like my two faithful squad members here? I came with my shikai already activated, or did you not realise that?"

Rei was angered. "Bastard, you tricked us! And you're ganging up on us!" Izuru had finished healing Raven and snapped back at Rei. "Oh yeah, and who ganged up on Renji and Captain Kuchiki, huh?"

"Either way," Raven smirked, "I'd say this is now a fair fight!" He stood up surprisingly quickly and raised his scythe. "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi!" The sky darkened overhead, and black, angelic wings sprouted from his back. The scythe itself extended and a kunai became visible from the staff.

"You two take Kaede, and I'll take Rei," Raven ordered Izuru and Zeo. "Rei and I have a little... _catching up_ to do." The emphasis on the words 'catching up' unnerved them. They nodded and flash-stepped to meet Kaede in a collision of swords.

Raven stood opposite Rei and raised his free hand. "Bakudo 93, Kurorouka!" he said, darkness rising up all around them both. The darkness finally formed a large, seemingly endless, corridor, four times their height with a faint light at either end. "And now neither you nor Kaede can sync your powers."

Rei was completely speechless. "You found a way to stop us from teaming up..." she trailed off, amazed. She quickly snapped to her senses. "No matter, we still have our mind link, so if I can't touch her, we can still talk." Raven raised an eyebrow to this, and Rei closed her eyes, contacting Kaede.

Rei's eyes opened and she smiled with confidence. "Now," she yelled, "witness our true power! Bankai, Futagoza Kyousoukyoku!" Her sword disappeared and was replaced with a staff, on each side holding a large claymore-like blade. The same weapon also appeared in her other hand, giving her in total four blades.

"Damn," Raven cursed. Rei smirked. "We can only do this at the same time, but with our connected minds, we always do it at the same time." Rei quickly rushed forward, stabbing at Raven with one of the blades, Raven parried it and quickly slashed with his scythe, with Rei blocked. They both landed back a few feet further from each other.

Rei placed one of her blades on the other, and a large wave of sound was emitted, blasting Raven to the ground, hands covering his ears. Rei smirked and then ran forward to strike him again. Raven smirked as the sound stopped and instantly flash-stepped away to the opposite end of the corridor.

Rei turned and smirked. "Nice reflexes, cutie," she complimented. "I almost feel sorry I have to kill you now!" Raven smirked back. "I'm afraid that that won't be possible, as I will now show the power of Kurohane Kujotenshi. You see, these kunai have feathers attached to them, and when five of these feathers are gathered on a humanoid target, that target is immediately deleted from existence. Not killed, not sent to another dimension, just deleted."

Rei started to sweat. 'Damn, if I get caught by that, I'm screwed,' she thought. 'Kaede, how're you doing?' Kaede's reply came and Rei sweat even more. 'Damn, sis, stay in it for us, right?'

Raven interrupted her. "What? Discussing the battle with Kaede?" he asked, smirking. "Not going well? Are you feeling cornered now?" Rei glared at him. "You had this planned all along, didn't you?" she asked him.

"Of course I did," he answered. "I am one of the best tacticians in Soul Society, if I didn't know what my comrades and my enemies brought to the table, I wouldn't be able to know if we could win this or not. That is why I know that Kaede is losing to Izuru and Zeo, the perfect team."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaede had also released their bankai, being the same as Rei's, and was currently struggling to raise her left staff up. Izuru stood in front of it, Wabisuke in its shikai.

"You won't be able to move it," he said. "I've slashed at it twenty times, which means its weight has doubled twenty times. Not even Captain Komamura or Captain Zaraki could lift that."

Zeo smirked. "And now, I shall stop you from using your other blade," he explained. "My resurrection! Writhe, Tenencia!" The sword disappeared and skeletal gloves and tail appeared on Zeo. His mask also grew, covering the right side of his face. He raised his right hand and a needle shot out of his index finger at Kaede's right shoulder. Kaede let out a cry of pain as the needle was embedded into her flesh.

"Now your shoulder – and arm – will do whatever I tell it to, as my needle is now part of your nervous system," Zeo continued, "which means that Izuru could kill you on the spot, if they were our orders. But they're not, so we'll just stall you until necessary."

Kaede kneeled down in defeat. She lowered her right arm to the ground, where her blade fell onto her other blade next to Izuru. Zeo saw this and yelled at Izuru to move. Izuru understood his words and flash-stepped away just as the sound-waves crumbled the ground to dust, also removing the needle from Kaede's shoulder.

Izuru landed next to Zeo, panting. "Thanks Zeo, nice catch," he said. Zeo nodded, still staring at the dust cloud which had been formed.

* * *

"Yes!" Rei yelled in delight. "She's free!" Rei stood up quickly, three feathers dotted on her torso, the kunai still drawing blood from her. She rushed forward and slashed at Raven, who was surprised at her rush of adrenaline and took damage on his arm and abdomen.

Raven fell back into the corridor's wall. The darkness crackled with energy and he was thrown to the ground. Rei laughed evilly as she walked to Raven's prone form. "Looks like you've fallen from grace, Raven," she taunted.

Raven quickly grabbed Rei's ankle, and forced another kunai into it. He jumped back to face her again. "But a fallen angel is something you don't want to face, Rei," Raven answered. "A fallen angel is one without things to protect or lose, so they fight with everything they have. You really don't want me to be fallen, and you know that."

Rei's eyes were full of shock. 'One more feather and I'm gone...' she thought. 'Kaede, I really need you now, sis, more than ever. I can't fight without you.' Rei listened to Kaede's answer and nodded. 'It's the only way,' she answered back.

"Alright, Raven," Rei said, her voice devoid of emotion. "This is my last stand, me versus you. A true fight, so no automatic victories, alright?" Raven raised his eyebrow, then nodded. "I'll grant you your last wish," he answered.

They both rushed at each other, blades at the ready. Just as their blades were about to meet, Rei jumped back. She started to spin her staffs rapidly. "Hakyoku no Ongaku!" she screamed, a large explosion of sound-waves sending both Raven and Rei flying into the corridor walls, eventually breaking them apart.

* * *

Kaede was in a deadlock with Izuru and Zeo, Zeo having formed a warrior out of rocks to fight for him. The explosion from inside the corridor came, and sent all three to the ground, cut up by the dark kido fragments. Zeo's rock warrior fell into rubble again.

Izuru helped Zeo to stand up, and they looked over at the explosion to see both Rei and Raven almost unconscious. Kaede attempted to run over to meet Rei, to synchronise and heal themselves, but was cut off by Izuru. She jumped back and brandished her bankai, which was still active.

Zeo's resurrection had faded, but he took another sword from his sheath. "Now Fade, Shikyotenshi!" His sword erupted in a whirl of spiritual energy, which he struggled to control, but eventually began to shrink into the form of two large cleavers attached by a chain. Skeletal wings grew from his back giving him an eerie appearance.

He immediately used sonido to appear behind Kaede and slashed up with his cleaver. Kaede dodged but the tips of her hair were caught in the line of fire. She stood next to the struggling Rei and gasped in shock as the affected hair shrivelled up and disintegrated.

Zeo started to explain. "The things that I have found out about Shikyotenshi in the short amount of time I have used him," he started, "is that anything he touches dies. This only affects living things, of course. But aren't you happy that I only got your hair, and not, say, your heart?"

Kaede started to sweat, and turned to pick Rei up. "I have decided that losing and leaving alive is better than losing and dying indefinitely, so we are gone." As if to emphasise her decision, a garganta appeared behind her which she walked through, Rei in her arms. It disappeared, and Izuru ran up to tend to Raven.

"Captain, you were right," he said. "Zeo's shikai scared them away." Raven sat up, panting and smirked. "Of course it did, Izuru. Those who fight for revenge will refuse to die until they get revenge," he explained. "Certain death is not what they are willing to chance."

Izuru checked over Raven's wounds and then picked him up on his back. "Come, Zeo, we need to get Captain Ruhodesu to Squad 4." Zeo smiled at Shikyotenshi and deactivated it. He then ran over to Raven and draped him half over Izuru's back and half over his own. They quickly flash-stepped away.

* * *

"You fled!?" Kenji yelled in anger. Rei and Kaede were kneeled before Kenji, who was on his throne, and they were slightly scared. "Um, yes, Kenji..." Kaede started. "It's because... uh..."

Rei looked at her struggling sister and interrupted her. "It was my fault, Kenji," she snapped. "I was the one to order a retreat. I should take the brunt of the punishment." Kaede looked, shocked, at her sister.

'What're you doing, Rei?' she asked her in her head. 'It was my fault we escaped.' Rei smirked at her. 'Yeah, but this is what sisters are for, right? Helping each other out.'

Kenji laughed coldly. "Why would I punish you? We won the first, correct? Even though we lost this one, Captain Ruhodesu is firmly taken out of the equation for my 'fight' with Kiyomi."

They were interrupted by a garganta appearing and Matthew walking through. "Hello, people," he greeted them, "how did we do?" Kenji looked at him, displeased. "We lost," he answered. "But how have you done? Do you have a new resurrection?"

Matthew smirked. "Not just a 'new' one, my 'old' one, Rey del Repltils, just much more powerful! I just formed it back from the hilt that remained." Maya ran up to Matthew and hugged his leg. "Yay, Mat is stronger! He's gonna kick Soul Society into the ground!"

"Well then," Kenji continued. "Maya, it looks like your fight is next. For Soul Society's sake, I hope they send a strong one, otherwise they'll be absolutely destroyed."

Maya looked up at Kenji, an evil smile crossing her otherwise innocent face. Matthew looked down at her and smirked slightly. Kenji let out a cold laugh. "Soul Society doesn't know what it's in for!"

* * *

_And the second round is over, with a desicive victory for Soul Society, tieing it at 1-1. Still, does Kenji even plan on following his own rules? And what will happen when his turn comes up?_

_**Next chapter: **Seeming as though Kenpachi missed the last couple of chances for a battle, he goes off to search for one himself, and finds a small, mischeivous child who has set out to destroy the seireitei. See what happens next time, in 'Child's Play'._


	16. Child's Play

**Chapter 15 – Child's Play**

The day after Raven met Kaede and Rei in battle started out as a beautiful day, the sun shimmering down on the picturesque Soul Society. The peace was, however, interrupted by a scream of anger coming from Squad 4.

"What do you mean I can't see him?!" Crystal yelled at Hanataro, who held his arms to his head in protection. He peeked his eye from in between his arms and when he saw the coast was clear, he answered.

"Well... um... Captain Ruhodesu said that no-one was to interrupt his recovery," he replied, reiterating everything Raven had told him to say. Crystal was still not convinced.

"I'm sure, of all people, I am allowed in, aren't I?" she asked Hanataro, sweetly. Hanataro blushed slightly, then walked away down the corridor. "Alright, go in Captain," he shouted back. "But just tell Captain Ruhodesu that I didn't let you in!"

Crystal smirked triumphantly and stepped through the door to Raven's hospital room. He sighed as she walked in. "I knew Hanataro wouldn't be able to keep people away," he muttered.

"And why was I refused entry?" Crystal asked, obviously annoyed. Raven sighed again. "Because," he replied, "of the fact that I am weak in my current state, and I hate people seeing me this way. You know that better than anyone."

Crystal nodded slightly. "Oh yeah," she mumbled. "You are like that aren't you? Either way, you almost died out there! And Zeo tells me that you fought both of them at the same time before you even allowed him or Izuru to aid you."

"Of course I did," Raven explained. "It was all part of my strategy to lull them into a false sense of security. And it worked, too, as they were soundly defeated."

"Also, the level 93 bakudo spell? Nice touch," Crystal complimented, to which Raven nodded in reply. "But why did you allow them to live? They're our enemies, so they should be cut down. That's what we were taught in the academy, right?"

"No," Raven answered, solemnly. "They fight because of revenge, and therefore, they do not deserve to die. When they eventually receive their vengeance, they will have done something so unforgivable that they should be killed, but until then, they are just enemies of circumstance."

Crystal sighed and sat on the chair next to Raven's bed. "You can forgive someone so easily, but then can hold a grudge against someone for years if they deserve it," she said, softly. "How can you be like that?"

Raven merely shrugged, although flinched as his wound stung. "Maybe it's because I'm emotionally detached, so I can make decisions easier." Crystal turned to him. "Maybe you're a better person than those captains of earlier generations – the ones who wronged Kenji and his peers." Raven merely looked at the ceiling in wonder.

* * *

At Squad 1 HQ, Kiyomi had the remaining captains and stand-in captains stood facing her this time, as there was no need to focus on squad orders, according to her. Chojiro, as per usual, stood on her left, but Terri and Hiroshi stood on her right, slightly unnerved by the numerous captains glancing at them.

"Alright, does anyone know where Kenpachi is?" Kiyomi asked, irritated. The captains looked at each other, silent. There were spaces in their midst, for Raven, Crystal and Byakuya, all of whom had legitimate reasons to be at Squad 4, and a space where Kenpachi should have been.

Kiyomi sighed. "Fine, don't bother telling me, I really don't care at the moment," she answered, defeated. "Still, Kenji will most likely contact us today, but thanks to Raven and his smart strategy, we have a victory for our side. This means that if we win this scheduled fight, Kenji will have to go with his word and leave us be."

As if to answer her explanation, Kenji's voice echoed across Soul Society. _"Check... check... is this thing on? Oh, it is!"_ he joked. _"Anyway, as you'll have guessed, it's me, Kenji Ito, reviewed as the number one radio presenter by Soul Society Weekly. And on to news, it is true that Kaede and Rei lost yesterday, but don't celebrate just yet, Soul Society, as I've left the best for last!"_

Mayuri's eyes widened. "Does he mean the girl, the mod soul?" he muttered. Kenji then laughed coldly and brought his attention back.

_"Of course I mean 'the girl, the mod soul' Captain Kurotsuchi, correct answer, thanks for phoning in! She, however, was too hyped up and has already left for Soul Society, and I have no idea where. So, why not make a game out of it and find her yourself? Kenji out!"_

Kenji's voice faded and Kiyomi quickly turned to Mayuri. "You've faced her before, correct Mayuri?" she asked. Mayuri nodded. "Good, then you can lead the offense against her, as I've no doubt you've studied up on how to defeat her."

Mayuri nodded and smirked darkly. "Of course, Captain Seiryoku," he laughed. "I've made some _special_ preparations for her, just in case."

"Excellent, then go, find her and rid Soul Society of quite possibly its greatest threat," Kiyomi commanded, Mayuri bowing and leaving through the door. Kiyomi sighed. 'Let's hope that his preparations have an effect on that mod soul, as she is probably the strongest opponent that Soul Society has at the moment.'

* * *

Kenpachi was racing through the streets of Soul Society, searching for his next opponent. "Where did he say the mod soul was going, Yachiru?" he asked. Yachiru popped up over his shoulder, clinging onto his back.

"I don't know Kenny, evil Kenny didn't say where she was..." Yachiru answered, disappointed. "So why not let me show you the way?"

Kenpachi sighed. "After the last couple of times, maybe not alright Yachiru?" Yachiru pouted then lowered her head back over his shoulder. Kenpachi kept of running, turning when he needed to, until he came to a four-way junction.

"Fine, Yachiru, I'm bored, which way?" Kenpachi sighed, in defeat. Yachiru popped her head back over his shoulder. "Yay! Kenny should go left!"

"Left, huh?" Kenpachi mused. He looked to his left, then his right. 'So if I go the opposite way that Yachiru says, I'll get there quicker!' he thought. 'I just wish I could remember which way was left and which was right...'

He turned to his left and ran down the path. "Yeah Yachiru, whatever you say," he said, reassuring her. He kept running down until he came to a clearing, where a large blast of spiritual energy met him. He focused his eyes and saw a small girl in gothic lolita fashion, firing energy in random directions, taking out walls and buildings.

Kenpachi stepped forward and looked her in the eye. "Are you the mod soul called Maya?" he asked. Maya stopped firing energy and jumped down from where she sat – on a roof – and landed directly in front of Kenpachi, so she was looking up at his towering form.

"Yup, Maya is Maya, who's asking?" Maya asked, putting on a poker-face. Kenpachi started to laugh, and Yachiru popped up from behind his shoulder again. "See, Kenny, I told you left! I was right for once!"

Kenpachi instantly snapped out of his laugh. "Wait, you're telling me I actually went left?" he asked. Yachiru shrugged. "I don't know, Kenny, I'm a child. I just said left because it's a fun word."

Maya looked at them and slowly fell to her knees. 'Look at them... they're like family...' she thought. 'Why didn't anybody treat me like that? Well, anyone except Mat...'

"Hey, get up and fight already, will ya?" Kenpachi moaned, seeing Maya kneeling on the ground. Maya quickly snapped into action and jumped back up, landing a couple of feet back, taking a stance.

Kenpachi continued. "Firstly, are you the girl who beat both Ikkaku and Yumichika the other time you invaded?" Maya looked puzzled for a bit, then she snapped into focus. "Yeah! Mr. Cue-Ball and Mr. Girly-Girl, right?"

Kenpachi and Yachiru turned to each other. They looked back at Maya with smirks on their faces. "Yeah, that sounds like them!" Kenpachi laughed. "Great, this'll be a brilliant fight then!"

Yachiru jumped off of Kenpachi's shoulder and ran over to a wall, where she sat down, anxious. Kenpachi drew his sword and pointed it at Maya. "Come then, I'll allow you the first move!"

Maya smirked. "You'll regret saying that!" she giggled, disappearing. She reappeared immediately behind him and swung with her right hand. A blade flew from her grasp and targeted Kenpachi's back. He quickly parried the shot, however, throwing the blade to the ground.

Maya landed and looked on in shock. "Wow... Mr. Big, Dark and Scary is good..." she mumbled. Kenpachi's face fell. "If that's your best shot, I am really gonna get pissed off."

This comment made Maya snap back into reality. "You want my best shot? You've got it!" she disappeared again, and a whirring noise started to echo throughout the area. A small circle appeared in the centre of the area and slowly widened. Kenpachi took this as something to avoid and jumped onto the nearby wall.

Maya's voice echoed throughout the area. "Nice reactions Mr. Captain, this portal leads to a different dimension! If you fell in, you'd be gone forever and ever!" Her voice was now extremely childish, so didn't intimidate Kenpachi in the slightest.

"Yeah, yeah, 'brilliant powers'," he mocked. "Just show yourself so we can fight properly!" As if to answer him, Maya appeared out of nowhere and delivered a sharp kick to the back of his neck, forcing him down to the street between the two highest walls. The portal was slowly crossing over to the street also, so Kenpachi pulled himself up from the ground and leaped onto the nearest roof.

"Maya seems to always fight on a roof, why is that?" Maya asked, giggling. She stopped short as Kenpachi ran up to her and stabbed at her, forcing her to back-flip away from him and give him a small kick to the nose before disappearing.

She reappeared behind him and then exhaled slowly, two more 'Mayas' appearing next to her. They all smirked and leaped at Kenpachi, who turned around and was shocked at what he saw. The two 'Mayas' that had appeared most recently kicked at Kenpachi's shins, whilst the 'real' Maya jumped and kicked him in the back of the head, making him fall to the roof, face-first.

The three Mayas stood further back and smirked triumphantly. "If this is the best Soul Society could send to face Maya, then Maya is going to win with no problem!" She was taken aback as Kenpachi stood up quickly and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Amazing!" he yelled in joy. "I don't know – or care – how you do it, but you are a brilliant opponent!" He sliced forward with his sword, cutting one 'Maya' across the cheek and making her disappear. The other two Mayas fell back with cuts across their cheeks too, and started to pout slightly.

The 'Maya' on the left jumped up, glaring at Kenpachi, and rushed forward, throwing a blade his way. He easily parried it and stabbed forward, skewering 'Maya' on his sword. She stopped dead in her tracks and disappeared. The Maya still left standing quickly fell to the ground, crying in pain.

"Why!? Why do you do this to Maya!?" Maya screamed out. "Maya hurts! Why does Maya hurt!?" She was struggling with herself to stand, and finally exposed her wound so that Kenpachi could see it.

"Hey, come on," Kenpachi said, impatiently. "It's just a war wound, you'll get over it." Maya was broken from her teary rage and looked at him. "War wound?" she echoed. Kenpachi smirked and nodded. "Yeah, a war wound shows how strong you are, I mean look at the hundreds I have!"

Maya jumped up and smiled. "I'm strong, yay!" she cheered. Kenpachi looked at her, confused, as she disappeared again. She reappeared above him and pointed two fingers at him, a red energy charging from them.

"Dimensional Blast 1: Eruption!" she yelled, a large ball of red energy being shot at Kenpachi, who took it, blasting him away in the following eruption of energy. He hit a wall, making a large impact crater and fell back to the roof, knocking tiles into the portal below.

Surprising Maya, he stood up straight away, his chest showing a large open wound burnt through his flesh. He smiled wide. "Now that's it, keep it up mod soul!" he yelled, ecstatic.

"Alright," Maya smirked, disappearing again. She reappeared directly above him again and pointed her finger at him again. "Dimensional Blast 2: Gravitation!" A large ball of red energy again was fired from her fingertips, but Kenpachi thought it was best to dodge this one.

He was correct in thinking that, as when the ball of energy hit the roof, all matter around it was absorbed into the ball and completely disappeared along with it. Maya landed and giggled. "Clever Captain," she smiled, "dodging the blast that would've crushed him into nothingness!"

"Yeah, well, don't think it's over just yet, girl," Kenpachi smirked. "I still have a lot more reserve power, but the question is – do you?" Maya growled. 'Maya doesn't have that much energy left... enough for a couple more minutes. But if what Mr. Captain is saying is true, then he has loads of energy left...'

She snapped back into action and disappeared again, reappearing behind him and kicking his back. Kenpachi took the hit and spun around, slashing Maya away and cutting into her right shoulder.

Maya stood back up and focused, the wounds on her abdomen and shoulder healing slightly. Kenpachi smirked and then rushed forward, but was interrupted by a hand grasping onto his shoulder and pulling him back.

The hand – mounted on a chain – came back to its owner, Mayuri, as he landed on the roof behind Kenpachi. "And what do you think you are doing, Kenpachi?" he asked, irritated.

"I couldn't be bothered waiting for another challenge, so I came to take it myself!" Kenpachi answered, annoyed at Mayuri interrupting. "Why, since when is it a criminal offense to fight enemies to Soul Society?"

"Shut your mouth, fool," Mayuri snapped, walking over to Maya. "Hmm, you look as if you have been injured, which means that capturing you and locking you up will be all the easier."

Maya backed off slightly and disappeared again. "Maya doesn't like you, Mr. Freaky-Captain, so Maya will have to kill you, alright?" she asked, sweetly. She reappeared hovering above the portal below and raised both of her hands towards the sky.

"Dimension Eruption!" she yelled, smiling. A large ball of red energy appeared over the portal and started to vibrate with immense power. Mayuri smiled slightly. "Her final move, I'm wondering?" he mused. "Perhaps, but I shall have to capture her before she destroys everything..."

He flash-stepped behind her, hovering above the portal also, and drew his zanpakuto. "Claw out, Ashisogi Jizo!" he laughed, his blade changing into the deformed trident. He slashed down, aiming for Maya's back, but she disappeared again and reappeared in front of Kenpachi.

"Uh-oh, Maya can't control where Maya teleports anymore..." she said, sweating as she stared at Kenpachi. Kenpachi smiled. "Well then, that means it'll be easier for me to hit you, right?" he laughed, slashing down. Maya disappeared again and reappeared behind him.

She smiled. "Maya's still got it, did Maya trick Mr. Captain?" she giggled, raising her hands to Kenpachi's back. "Dimensional Wall 3: Pocket Prison!" she yelled, a transparent, red box forming around Kenpachi.

He tried to stab through it, confused and annoyed, but it was unbreakable. "What've you done, girl?" he yelled. Maya merely smiled at him sweetly. "I'm strong, Mr. Captain, aren't I?" she said, jumping down to meet Mayuri who had flash-stepped back to the roof. Kenpachi merely smirked in reply.

Mayuri smiled darkly as Maya landed in front of him. "Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!" he yelled, the large baby-headed caterpillar rising from a cloud of smoke that had formed behind Mayuri. It let out a roar, poison escaping from its mouth.

Mayuri pointed at Maya, and the caterpillar rushed at her, understanding his request. Just as it was about to meet her, and subsequently skewer her, Maya disappeared, reappearing above, behind and to the sides of Mayuri, all coming in with a blade-aided punch.

All four blades met their targets at the same time, Mayuri only being able to block the one aimed for his head. The two blades that hit his legs made him kneel down in pain and the blade to the back made him fall forwards.

He stayed on hands and knees, thinking of a solution to the situation. "My dear," he said, suddenly, "you are truly a magnificent specimen. You wouldn't mind if you were to just come with me, would you?"

Maya looked at him quizzically. She turned to Kenpachi, who was glaring at Mayuri, and so she turned back and glared at him too. "No, Mr. Freaky-Captain, Maya would mind going with you," Maya answered, matter-of-factly. "So, now, Maya will blow you up, alright?"

"No, my dear," Mayuri laughed. "It is you who will be blown up with my specially prepared counterattack." He took his longest fingernail and plunged it into his abdomen. He felt around for a bit, before a snap was heard and he took out what looked like a rib.

"This is my newest experiment," he explained. "Kido densely packed into a solid form – this time a rib – and when hit it erupts with the same force as the kido spell except much more powerful, as the solid is made up of many of the same spell." He turned to the 'real' Maya, the one to his left. "It was originally intended for if you ever attacked my abdomen with that blade or that beam of yours, but this will suffice also."

He threw it at the 'real' Maya, who was blocked by another Maya, who disappeared in a blaze of light. The other Mayas fell back in pain and screamed. Mayuri stood up slowly. "And now I can take you back and experiment on you, finally," he said, laughing coldly.

"Maya doesn't think so," she smiled, lying on the rooftop, drained of energy. The other 'Mayas' vanished and she clasped her right hand, causing the large ball of energy at the centre of the area to tremble more.

"Now Maya has made the dimension more unstable, so it will blow, taking you, Maya, Mr. Captain and Mr. Captain's little girl with it!" she smiled, confidently. Mayuri started to sweat. "What?" he asked, unnerved. "Is this the same power that destroyed the gate?"

"The one and the same!" Maya giggled, clenching her fist. She turned to Kenpachi and Yachiru. "Sorry, Mr. Captain, but you have to die now," she whispered. "Still, it was a fun fight, right?" Suddenly, a garganta appeared behind her and Matthew rushed in, grabbing her, before running back through the garganta, it closing behind him.

The ball of energy trembled and suddenly increased in mass, exploding massively after shrinking down for a split-second. Mayuri had already flash-stepped away, running for his life. Once Maya had gone through the garganta, the box around Kenpachi had vanished, so Yachiru had flash-stepped in, grabbed him, and flash-stepped out. The explosion shook the very foundations of Soul Society, destroying the earth and stone in the area in a flash of intense red light.

* * *

Matthew rested Maya down on the sands of Hueco Mundo. "Are you alright Maya?" he asked, voice devoid of any emotion. "You apparently went to your limit this time around. You know you can't use Dimensional Blasts, Dimensional Walls and a Dimension Eruption in quick succession."

Maya got up and smiled sweetly at Matthew. "But Mat came and helped Maya, so Maya's fine now, right?" and with that, she fainted on the sands.

Kenji walked down to her side. "Unfortunate that she couldn't stay awake," he started. "It would've counted as a true victory, instead of just a false one. She has fainted, so therefore technically it is a draw." He walked back to his throne, Kaede and Rei on either side, bowing to him.

"Still..." he continued, "who said I was ever going to go with my word in the first place?" He started to laugh, coldly, whilst Matthew, Kaede and Rei looked at him, unnerved.

* * *

_And so the third battle has ended, with the rounds tied up at 1-1 (still, technically). Maya was pretty impressive, I think (personally she's my fourth favourite character in this fic). Next would obviously be Kenji, right? We'll find out..._

_**Next chapter:** Kenji's plan comes into full effect, but he wants to make the seireitei sweat first, before making his move. 'Tension Rising' is coming soon, as Kenji plays more of his games..._


	17. Tension Rising

**Chapter 16 – Tension Rising**

Kenji sat upon his throne, which was now encased in a large rock castle of sorts, the ring of obelisks and structures around it now creating the throne room. Matthew sat on a secondary throne to the right of the room, looking over a sleeping Maya, resting on a rock platform next to him.

Kaede sat up from her throne to the left of the room, and stretched, her clothes now two-toned again. "When are we going to invade them then Kenji?" she asked, bored. Kenji merely glanced at her, annoyed, and returned to staring at the large double-doors in front of him.

"We are awaiting the return of our spies, Ryo and Sakura," he answered, eventually. "Please stop asking me questions Kaede, when I am so close to victory." He stopped for a second, and then corrected himself. "I mean 'we'. We are so close to victory."

Matthew and Kaede looked at each other, curiously. They shook it off, however, as Sakura and Ryo had ran into the room using sonido, alerting everyone to their presence, even Maya, who turned her head weakly to face them.

"Sir," Sakura started, "Soul Society are currently dreading tomorrow, when you request someone for your fight. They have all begun to sleep on it, to be prepared for what they face."

"Of course, you will talk to them tomorrow, I assume?" Ryo asked, curious. "Or are you waiting to build anxiety in their ranks?" Kenji quickly glared at them. "So you are now telling me what I will do?" he asked them, disbelieving.

Ryo and Sakura looked at each other, then back at Kenji, shaking their heads to signify 'no'. Kenji smirked. "Good, otherwise we would have a problem. Fair work, though, so I thank you both," he added.

Both Ryo and Sakura backed off slightly, bowing. They then walked over to Matthew's side, nervous. Matthew looked at them, knowingly, and nodded. They nodded back and exited through the door using sonido.

Kenji laughed to himself. "They think I'll talk to them tomorrow?" he asked. "Well, they'll be in for a disappointment."

* * *

The next day, all captains and stand-in captains were stood in Squad 1, facing Kiyomi, in squad order. Chojiro yet again stood on one side of Kiyomi, with Terri and Hiroshi on her other side, less nervous than the previous day.

Byakuya, Raven, Crystal and Kenpachi were now back in their usual spots, Byakuya and Raven heavily bandaged. Kiyomi stood up at the head of the room, as usual, and cleared her throat.

"So, that's three out of four fights done with," she started, "and with Kenji coming today, we expect, this is the last day that Kenji and his peers will live freely. Starting today, the Gotei 13 will have fulfilled their duties against Kenji, and his reign over Hueco Mundo will end."

After the speech, she sat back down again, to wait for Kenji's answer. Strangely, nothing happened, no voiceover, no cold laugh. Terri looked over at Kiyomi, who was glaring at the ceiling. Many other captains followed Kiyomi, glaring into space, whilst Kenpachi merely yawned.

Fifteen minutes passed from when Kenji's speech usually came out, with nothing being heard. Kiomi stood up, angrily, and in a fit of rage yelled at the ceiling. "Come on Kenji! Where are you?" she yelled, fists clenched.

Mayuri chuckled slightly. "It seems he may have done this purposely," he muttered. Raven nodded in agreement. "The perfect strategy against us, we who are dreading the upcoming fight: basically leaving us in the dark until he sees fit."

Crystal growled. "He's unnerving us!" she yelled. Byakuya opened his eyes. "It seems we give him less credit than he deserves – for tactics at least," he said slowly. Sajin growled also. "Head-Captain Seiryoku, please allow me to go to Hueco Mundo, where I shall personally slay Kenji for the vile fiend he is!"

Kiyomi raised her hand and sighed. "It appears that it is our own fault to fail to consider he would do something like this," she said, disheartened. "Either way, he will come eventually, and we have to be ready, be it today or tomorrow or next week." She sat back down. "Alright, everyone, meeting is dismissed. All of you go back to your squads and prepare them for what is about to unfold."

All captains nodded in agreement and left the room. After they had left, Kiyomi sighed again. "Chojiro, remind me to kill Kenji for a second time when we eventually do kill him," she asked. "He is annoying me far more now than he ever has."

Chojiro nodded and walked to the door at the back, motioning to Terri and Hiroshi to come with him and to leave Kiyomi to herself. They followed him, understanding his gesture. Kiyomi sighed again. "That bastard Kenji will eventually have his blood all over my hands, and when that happens, I may finally feel that I can fill the roles that Yamamoto left behind."

* * *

Kenpachi sat next to an open window, the breeze blowing his hair around gently. Yachiru crept up on him and jumped on his back happily. She looked at Kenpachi with concern when he didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Hey Kenny, what's up?" she asked, smiling. "Anything I can help you with?" Kenpachi turned to her slowly. "No, everything's fine, Yachiru," he answered. "It's just that I couldn't help but get the feeling of despair emanating from that mod soul yesterday."

Yachiru nodded knowingly. "Hmm, I sorta felt that too..." she mused. "But still Kenny, you can't be down in the dumps, you have bad guys to fight!"

"Not today, Yachiru," Kenpachi replied, annoyed at Kenji. "That Kenji guy didn't even show today, so we have to wait until he does." Yachiru's face fell. Kenpachi saw this and continued. "But when he does show, I'll beat him then, how about that?"

Yachiru smiled and hugged around his neck quickly. "Yay, Kenny!" she said, happily. "Kenny is gonna beat that bad guy to the ground with ease because Kenny's the best!"

Kenpachi merely turned back to the window and stared out of it again, deep in thought.

* * *

Crystal jumped back from Raven's slash, releasing her shikai in the process, the sky lighting up a bit. "I have to say, when you asked for a training session, I thought you were taunting me, Rae," she admitted. "But this is actually doing me good. I haven't had a workout like this for a while."

Naomi landed next to her, smiling. "Thanks for the invite, bro," she said, "I'm having a blast sparring with Zeo." Raven merely growled. "It's Captain Ruhodesu, Naomi," he reminded her. "Please don't throw away manners just because this is free time."

Naomi smirked. "Yeah, of course, Captain Ruhodesu," she answered, blocking an attack from Zeo. "If I have to call him that, so do you, Naomi," he said, smirking, then backing off. "Alright, Nai, watch and be amazed at my shikai!"

He raised his sword into the air and smirked. "Fade, Shikyotenshi!" Skeletal wings erupted from his back and the sword extended into two large cleavers held by a chain. He waited for Naomi's response.

"Wow, if anything, that makes you seem even more intimidating," she complimented, smiling. Zeo smiled back. "Thanks, but that's not what we're here for, is it?" He jumped forward and slashed down with one cleaver, prompting Naomi to dodge aside and almost knock into Izuru, who was currently in battle with Shuhei.

"Alright, this is getting out of control," Raven yelled. He raised his sword and held it horizontally. "Delete, Kujotenshi!" His blade extended into the scythe, and he span it around to show his authority. "This training session is too out of control. What you all need is one enemy to combat as a unit."

He then raised his scythe and slashed it down, a kido blade flying at Shuhei and Izuru, who dodged quickly. He did the same for Naomi and Zeo, who also dodged in time. Crystal looked at him, then stood by his side.

"Alright, the two strongest out of all of us against the rest of you should be a fair fight," she smirked, raising her halberd up. "Let's go then, huh?" Raven smirked at her, then they both flash-stepped into battle with the others, but were stopped as Soifon flash-stepped into the middle of them.

"Hey, wait," she said, drawing her sword, "you two against these? I'd say that's unfair odds, so I'll balance it out!" She stabbed forward at Raven, who sidestepped and looked at her. "Fine," he answered. "You can lose too," he smirked.

* * *

Sajin was sat at his desk, writing up reports, with Iba's help. He was disturbed from this routine by Jushiro knocking on the door. "Enter," Sajin answered, not looking up from his pages. Jushiro walked in and smiled at Iba to leave them alone. Iba did what Jushiro motioned, and Sajin looked up.

"Ah, Jushiro, how can I help?" Sajin asked, happy to see him. Jushiro smiled back, but then sat down in front of the desk with a look of concern on his face.

"I'm just here to see if you're feeling alright, Sajin," Jushiro said, honestly. "I mean, I would find it difficult to adjust to conditions around here after such a long time in captivity."

Sajin stood up and laughed slightly. "Yes, I would say the same thing, Jushiro, if it wasn't for the support I am receiving from everyone," he replied. "Tetsuzaemon has said that he will aid me with everything I could need, Crystal has said that she will visit every chance she can to see if she can help around for the first couple of weeks and Head-Captain Seiryoku has shown concern for my situation and has allowed me lengthened periods of time to hand in documents and such."

Jushiro sighed. "Well yes, I see that you're fine then," he smiled. "Good. Though, if you have any trouble getting back into the rhythm of captaincy just come by and ask alright?" He stood up to leave. "It's good to see you back Sajin," he said, Sajin nodding back. "It's good to be back, Jushiro, believe me."

Jushiro left, and Sajin sat back into his chair. He sighed. "If only it were that simple," he muttered to himself. "After my energy being drained in that negacion and this high-energy situation now, I'm really starting to doubt if I can be a captain anymore."

* * *

Matthew was sparring with Kaede, Kaede with her sword drawn, and Matthew using his claws. Matthew clawed down at Kaede, but she dodged bringing the sword to slash at his abdomen, which he then dodged. He back-flipped to a safe distance then drew his own sword.

"Now, let's train properly, huh?" he said, narrowing his eyes. Kaede smirked back, then started to release her sword. "Separate and balance, Futagoza Kyoushin!" Rei and Kaede then separated, their clothing becoming purple and pink respectively, and a sword appearing in their left hands.

"All right then," Rei laughed, "let's get this training session started!" Kaede nodded in agreement, and Matthew merely narrowed his eyes more. They rushed forward at each other, but were interrupted by Kenji before they could meet.

Kenji had just strode through the door of the castle, a smug look on his face, and had glared at the three of them as he stood there, waiting impatiently. "Alright, get out of my way, if you could," he said, annoyed. "I am trying to get to _my_ throne, here."

Matthew growled. "Whatever you say, _master_," he muttered. Kenji glared at him, then looked at Kaede and Rei, who smirked at Matthew's comment, but then stepped back as Kenji glared at them.

Kenji walked up to his throne and sat down, smirking. Kaede stepped towards his throne and kneeled down. "My lord, if I may ask, what are you smiling about?" she asked, timidly. Rei's face fell as she did this, annoyed that she was showing Kenji submission.

"Well, Kaede," Kenji started, "my plans will all come to fruition tomorrow, and I can't wait. Soon, Soul Society will be decimated, and I shall take it over as ruler, just before I then start my takeover of the human world!"

Kaede and Rei then looked up at Kenji in shock. "What?" Rei asked, "The human world? Why invade the human world?" Kaede nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the humans didn't do anything to us, why do they deserve death and servitude?" Kenji, however, laughed at their comments.

"Well," he started, "this is because the world does not revolve around you two. It does revolve around me though, as I am one of the strongest spirits to ever inhabit the universe. This is why the humans must bow to me."

Kaede and Rei looked at each other with surprise etched across their faces. Matthew merely glared at Kenji, without him noticing. He turned and left the room to find Sakura and Ryo, obviously giving himself a reason to keep away from Kenji.

* * *

Ryo and Sakura were outside the castle, on the sands of Hueco Mundo, standing and staring into the distance. Maya was running around their legs, happily playing on her own. Matthew appeared behind them and walked up to them.

"So, do you two know what you're doing tomorrow?" he asked, curious. Ryo nodded silently, whilst Sakura answered for them. "Yeah, of course, my lord," she said, smiling, then bowing to him.

"Good," Matthew replied, smirking. "Your part is crucial, you see, as only a few from Soul Society know of your existence: Kiyomi Seiryoku and those two academy brats. Captain Seiryoku would've told the other captains, I'm sure, but they only expect what they know is coming, foolish idiots they are."

Sakura giggled at that remark, whilst Ryo merely smiled at his lord's wit. Maya stopped running around their legs and jumped onto Matthew's back. "Hi Mat, how's it going?" she asked, smiling.

"I'm fine, Maya," he answered, smiling also. "But look at you, you've gotten better quickly, haven't you?" Maya smiled wider and then jumped back down to the sand and ran around their legs even more.

Matthew quickly turned to Ryo and Sakura again and his face fell into a dark scowl. "Kenji still annoys me though," he said, softly. Ryo and Sakura nodded in agreement. "He is now thinking of invading the human world after Soul Society, and that is too much in my opinion. The human world doesn't matter to me, Soul Society is the only thing that must pay with death."

Ryo nodded silently. "Yes, I agree also, my lord," he said, monotonous. "Kenji's ego is starting to get the best of him, so we should do something about it when he loses tomorrow."

"If he loses tomorrow," Sakura corrected him. "We're still on his side today, remember? We need to show some 'support' for him still."

Matthew laughed softly. "That's quite true, Sakura," he smiled. "Now, let's just get ready for tomorrow, huh?" he said, walking back into the castle, Maya deciding to follow him.

* * *

Kiyomi was yet again sitting at the head of the room, Chojiro on one side, Terri and Hiroshi on the other. The captains were yet again facing her in order, and they were all yet again waiting for Kenji to speak.

After a few minutes, Kenji's voice did indeed resonate over the entire Soul Society. _"Hello Soul Society. I apologise for ignoring you yesterday, but I thought you could do with a day off,"_ he mocked. _"Still, it's my turn today and I have a little 'surprise' in store for you all. You'll all find out what later on, when I come on by."_

"Alright," Crystal muttered, "this Kenji is really starting to annoy me now." Kenji laughed as she finished her comment. _"Come now, Captain Kyoraku, don't be so malicious,"_ he joked. _"Anyway, come to the academy ruins again if you want to face me, and don't be late, alright?"_

The voice echo finished, and the captains stood silent. "Well," Kiyomi said, "it looks like it has finally come to this. Come now, who will stand up to Kenji, or will it be I who stands up to him?"

Some captains started to answer, but Terri answered her first. "Um, Head-Captain Seiryoku?" she asked, timidly. Kiyomi turned to her, curiously. "I would like to accompany you there, and act as backup in case Kenji pulls a trick on us again," she continued. "So can I?"

Kiyomi smiled, reassuringly. "Of course you can, Ms. Zakura," Kiyomi said, warmly. "And you too, Mr. Takahashi, if you do so wish." Hiroshi snapped into focus and nodded, confidently.

Kiyomi turned back to the captains and waited for some answers. "I would be honoured to go, Captain Seiryoku," Raven started. "But after my injuries, I feel I would be more of a hindrance than a help."

"Understood, Raven," she answered, nodding. She turned to Byakuya. "And this is the same for you?" she asked. Byakuya nodded slowly. "Alright then, who else?" she looked, expectantly.

"I would be honoured to go with you in my brother's stead, Head-Captain Seiryoku," Naomi answered. "And I am sure Zeo would also want to help out." Kiyomi nodded, then turned to the others.

"And I will help you too," Sajin answered. Soifon also stepped forward, nodding to her. Kenpachi sighed. "What's the point?" he asked. "If I can't fight him one on one, then there's no point in me being there."

"Well, it's nice to know what limits you'll go to protect Soul Society, Kenpachi," Toshiro said, glaring at him. "I shall also aid you, Captain, and I'm sure Rangiku will be able to come also."

"Very well," Kiyomi nodded. "Well then, we shall leave soon and depart for the academy ruins. There we shall have the final battle of this war that Kenji has started, and there will be the final resting place of Kenji himself, as revenge for the thousands he ordered to be slain by his arrancar."

* * *

Kiyomi landed at the academy ruins after flash-stepping from Squad 1. Toshiro, Sajin and Soifon also landed next to her, searching for Kenji. Sarcastic clapping was heard behind them, and they turned to see Kenji standing on thin air, a garganta behind him.

He jumped down to the ground and laughed coldly. "Well, I congratulate you for showing up," he said, then he looked at Soifon, Sajin and Toshiro, "with backup just in case, also? I credit you with planning, Captain Seiryoku, I really do."

"Shut it, Kenji," Kiyomi yelled. "This is no time for chat; this is a time for war, which is just what my captains and I were planning to do today." Kenji merely brushed her words off, and stepped forward. This started to infuriate Sajin, who growled deeply.

"Oh, I'd better watch it, otherwise your rabid dog will disease me," Kenji mocked. "Come now, you don't honestly believe you four can beat me, do you?" Soifon glared at him.

"The Gotei 13 can do a lot if we work together, Kenji," she said, confidently. "And that is exactly what we are going to do now." Toshiro nodded in agreement, which allowed Sajin to calm down slightly.

Kiyomi stepped forward and drew her sword. "Well then, Kenji," she started, "why not start this off?" she smirked. "Or are you too much of a coward?" This angered Kenji slightly.

"Alright, Kiyomi," he seethed, "I'll buy into that taunt. Just for that, you can die first!" He drew his sword and laughed coldly.

* * *

_And this is it, the battle to end all battles. But is Kenji really going to play fair? He hasn't before this, so why change now? And to what lengths will Kiyomi go to kill him?_

_**Next chapter:** Well, we'll find out next chapter... and the next, and the one after, because there is so much action I'm writing a three-parter. Next week comes 'Battle Royale Part 1', as chaos spills into the seireitei one final time._


	18. Battle Royale Part 1

**Chapter 17 – Battle Royale Part 1**

Kenji stepped forward, smirking. Kiyomi raised her own sword in anticipation, which made Kenji smirk even more. Instead of attacking, however, he merely stood and snapped his fingers. Kiyomi looked curiously at this, but was snapped back into focus as Maya, Matthew and Kaede appeared behind Kenji, seemingly out of nowhere, and raced forward, forcing back Soifon, Sajin and Toshiro.

Kiyomi looked behind her to see them in a deadlock with the enemies. She then turned back to Kenji, extremely irritated. "Kenji, I am sick of you playing tricks on us!" she yelled, Kenji smiling coldly. "Are you happy now? We're one on one, just like you want."

"I am not happy, Kiyomi," replied Kenji, "and do you know why? It's because Soul Society hasn't paid for wronging me. But that will change shortly, when I kill you all and then make my way to the human world where no soul reapers can follow me."

"You plan to invade the human world?" Kiyomi asked in disbelief. "To what lengths are you expecting to go?" Kenji just smirked at her, then flash-stepped into a sword clash with Kiyomi, her senses being too honed for Kenji to fool that easily. They both flash-stepped away, then back in again, coming to another deadlock, straining against each other.

"You'll never win, Kenji, and my captains will make sure of it!" Kiyomi taunted, confidently. Kenji merely laughed her off. "Oh yes, we'll see that my team destroys your captains and the rest of Soul Society altogether!" he smiled, before breaking the deadlock and starting to release his sword.

* * *

"Hey there, mutt, why don't you just back down and save yourself the embarrassment?" Matthew taunted. Sajin roared back in anger. "Never will I give in to filth like you, arrancar! This will be your final resting place!"

He broke the deadlock and slashed sideways, yelling "Roar, Tenken!" A large giant arm appeared and mimicked his action, taking Matthew by surprise and knocking him to the ground. He stood up slowly as Sajin stared him down.

"Not bad, mutt," Matthew complimented. "But I'll still win eventually, it can't be helped." He raised his sword in the air and smiled wide. "Tear my enemies to shreds, Rey del Reptils!" His sword wrapped around his arm and melded into it. Silver wings and a silver tail erupted from his back, and his skin slowly became scaled. He stared into Sajin's eyes, his pupils now vertical slits, and Sajin became unnerved.

"My form does chill the soul, doesn't it?" Matthew said, slyly. "Why don't you have a closer look then?" He used sonido, appearing directly above Sajin, and pointed his arm down. The snake enveloped his arm and shot down like a bullet, creating a large dust cloud over the area.

Matthew landed a few metres back and admired his work. However, when the dust cleared, Sajin's hands were wrapped around the snake's neck, choking it. Matthew's face fell and turned into a scowl. "How dare you lay a hand on my serpent! Gran rey cero!" A large blue energy appeared in his hand and he shot it forward, Sajin flash-stepping to avoid it, the snake falling to the ground, panting.

Matthew gestured, and the serpent slithered back into his arm, melding with it. Matthew glared at Sajin, who merely flash-stepped and slashed at Matthew, who leaped back and landed on a large pile of rubble. He then raised his palm, and a slit opened up under his wrist. "Tosigo Uno – Parálisis," he spoke, a pointed barb appearing and shooting out to Sajin, who barely dodged it.

Matthew took this diversion as an opportunity and used sonido yet again, appearing behind him and slashing down with his claws. Sajin staggered forward, then flash-stepped away from Matthew to regain his composure.

He turned to Matthew and growled low. "You've asked for it, arrancar," he roared. "Bankai, Kokujo Tengen Myo'o!" A shadowy giant rose up from the ground behind him and leaned over him, to get some support from the ground below. A large sword was in its right hand, glistening menacingly in the light.

Matthew stood, in awe, speechless, although this was broken as Sajin slashed down, the giant mimicking him and swinging its sword down, taking Matthew head on. A dust cloud was formed where it slashed down, and Matthew rolled out of it, panting. He looked up at the giant, sweating.

* * *

Maya's blades struck Toshiro's sword, and they were locked in battle. Maya smiled sweetly at him, which made Toshiro's face fall. They separated and stared each other down.

"So, you're the mod soul?" Toshiro asked. Maya nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, then that means you're powerful enough to have defeated Mayuri, Nemu, Ikkaku and Yumichika at once, and to have drawn with Mayuri and Kenpachi at once. And that means that you have to be one of the most powerful mod souls ever recorded, but I just don't believe that."

Maya looked annoyed. "Don't insult Maya, or Maya'll beat you down!" she yelled, pouting. Toshiro glared at her, irritated. Maya smiled sweetly again and disappeared. Toshiro's eyes widened, wandering around the area, searching for her. Maya reappeared behind him, and slashed down with her blade.

Toshiro felt her attacking and turned to block, doing so with ease. He then parried her blades and pushed her back with his hilt, knocking her to the ground. She stood up slowly and dusted herself off before disappearing again. Toshiro's eyes narrowed as he attempted to predict where she would appear.

Before he could react, however, Maya appeared in front, to the right, left and behind him and all four raised their right hands. "Dimensional Wall 1: Physical Separation!" they giggled in unison. From their hands, razor-thin lines of energy rippled out, cutting into Toshiro's flesh. He screamed out in pain as it continued to cut into his arms and legs.

Maya was enjoying Toshiro's pain, and so was caught unaware as a cloud of ash quickly cut up the other 'Mayas', therefore cutting her up in the process and making her drop to the ground in pain. Toshiro did the same as the energy dissipated, blood pouring heavily from the wounds.

Rangiku quickly ran in and grabbed Toshiro, returning just as quickly to her hiding place. She was met behind their hiding place by Terri and Hiroshi, Terri kneeling down to aid Toshiro. "Lieutenant Matsumoto, if you'd let me assist, please," she started. "I'm quite capable of healing all minor and a few major wounds quickly."

Rangiku smiled. "Well, I guess it's true what they're saying," she said, softly. "You're just like your mother, that's for sure." Terri smiled back at her and focused her energy on Toshiro's wounds as he flinched from the pain.

* * *

Soifon smirked and backed off. "So, you're the ones who Raven faced off against huh?" she asked, landing with grace. Kaede laughed slightly. "So, Raven's been talking about us, has he?" she asked, in thought. "Maybe we've made a bigger impact on him than we thought."

Soifon laughed off her statement quickly. "Please, to Raven you're just another enemy," she retorted. "In fact, I can say the same for Crystal too, and I believe Izuru said the same thing about you when I spoke to him."

Kaede's eyes narrowed and she quickly gained a scowl. "Little bitch, how dare you insult us!" She flicked her hair out of her face and gained her air of confidence back. "Still, your little mind tricks won't work, we're quite good at keeping our cool."

Soifon smirked at that comment. "Alright then, let's see you keep your cool when under real pressure. Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" Her sword quickly shrunk in a storm of spiritual energy, finally ending up on her middle finger. Kaede looked at this and laughed.

"What in the world is that?!" she asked in disbelief. "Aren't shikais meant to get bigger, not smaller?" Soifon merely flash-stepped, and with incredible speed reappeared behind her, stabbing her in the back. She then reappeared in front of her again, smirking. Kaede fell to her knee and grasped at her back.

"What the hell?!" she yelled, flinching through the pain. She stood up, annoyed. "I demand to know why you're all smiles, bitch!" Soifon's face fell. "Well, if you must know, Suzumebachi allows death to the one who is stabbed twice in the same place, and that means once more on your back, and you're history."

Kaede raised her sword. "Well then, I'll just have to kill you before that can happen, won't I?" She smiled wide as the warped geisha mask appeared on the left half of her face. "Separate and balance, Futagoza Kyoushin!" Her body and her sword split apart. Kaede, complete with pink clothing and mask on the right side of her face, stood on the right, whilst Rei, wearing purple and her mask on the left, stood on the left, a noticeably more crazed look on her face.

They clashed their swords together and charged them up. They then pointed them at Soifon and shot a Resonance Wave, which Soiofn barely dodged, flash-stepping to safety. She then flash-stepped back and attempted to attack Kaede's back, which was quickly blocked by Rei.

"Tut tut, missy, but you're not getting my sister," she mocked, "not on my watch at least." Soifon glared at them, then flash-stepped away. She thought about attacking Rei instead, but was snapped from her thought by Kaede slashing her way, which she again barely dodged. She dodged a few more slashes, until Rei jumped out behind her and stabbed forward, cutting into her upper back, and forcing her to the ground.

Rei and Kaede then stepped up and stood over Soifon's prone form. "Wow, look at you, you look so weak and pathetic!" Rei exclaimed, loving every minute of it. Kaede merely smiled evilly, a look of malice in her eyes.

Suddenly, however, they were interrupted by Naomi and Zeo, who rushed in and knocked them away from Soifon. Kaede stood her ground whilst Rei had to dig into the ground with her sword to stay stable. Zeo glared at them both, whilst Naomi checked up on Soifon.

"So ladies, miss me much?" Zeo asked, sarcastically. Rei scowled, whilst Kaede smirked slightly. "Yeah, sure," Kaede said, mirroring Zeo's sarcasm. Naomi stood up and raised her sword. "Now you two are going to be cut down, whether it be by me, Soifon or Zeo here," she threatened.

Kaede and Rei merely shrugged her words off. They raised their swords horizontally and touched the tips together. "Bankai!" they yelled in unison. "Futagoza Kyousoukyoku!" Their swords erupted in a shining light, and when the light died down, both Rei and Kaede held twin staffs, blades covering either end, making an intimidating sight.

"Cut down?" Rei laughed. "This is what you call getting cut down!" Kaede giggled in reply to her sister's comment. "You'll be cut down quicker than we cut down your arrancar boyfriend the first time we met," she continued. "And that was extremely quick."

* * *

Toshiro was up and healthy again, Terri having done a good healing spell. "I thank you, Ms. Zakura, but now I feel I must tell you not to get yourself involved in this fight," he said, slowly. "This mod soul is extremely powerful, and I would fear for your safety."

Terri nodded. "We understand Captain Hitsugaya, truly," she smiled. Toshiro turned to Rangiku and gestured to the battlefield again. She nodded and followed him back out to the open area, where Maya was slowly standing up, the cuts all over her body slowly closing up.

"You!" she yelled, pointing at Rangiku. "You hurt Maya! You'll pay for hurting Maya, because Maya is really strong!" she bragged, glaring at her. Before Rangiku could answer, Toshiro interrupted her. "Rangiku, do not be lured in by her look, she is an extremely capable fighter, and based upon her attack before, has almost unlimited energy at her disposal."

Rangiku nodded and drew her sword. "Growl, Haineko!" she yelled, her sword erupting into a cloud of ash which flew at Maya like a blade. Maya smirked and threw her blades away, then shook her sleeves, another pair of blades falling from them. She grabbed the new blades and span around, blocking the attack and rendering it useless.

Maya stopped spinning and showed her blades to Toshiro and Rangiku. "Do you two like Maya's special tanto blades? Mat got them for Maya when he visited the human world!" Toshiro just sighed. "She's just a girl, and yet is classed as one of our most fearful enemies, I just don't see how."

Rangiku smiled. "Hey captain, you're just a boy, so I'm not surprised that she's this strong," she laughed. "Having you as a superior has made me realise that I can't underestimate people based on their appearances."

Toshiro's face fell. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Rangiku, if you don't mind." Maya, meanwhile, was staring at them, deep in thought. 'Those two are just like Mr. Captain and his little girl... a family... something which Maya doesn't have...'

Maya was snapped back into focus as Toshiro drew his sword. "Alright, mod soul, get ready, because I'm not holding back!" Maya giggled and disappeared, reappearing behind Toshiro and kicking him before appearing to the left of Rangiku, who she then slashed at. Rangiku blocked from instinct, and then glared as Maya disappeared again.

She reappeared suddenly above them, and pointed her fingers down at them. "Dimensional Blast 1: Eruption!" she yelled, a large red ball firing down at them and exploding upon impact with the ground. Toshiro and Rangiku instinctively dodged this, and then flash-stepped up to meet Maya, who saw them and disappeared again.

She reappeared in front of Toshiro, who then slashed down, but was blocked by another 'Maya' who appeared from behind him. "Maya went back in time again!" the Maya in front of him giggled, before kicking him squarely in the abdomen and sending him to the ground.

Rangiku ran up to her and gestured with her hilt, Haineko's ash slicing at Maya again. Maya merely blocked with her tanto and then pushed the ash back. She crossed her tanto's blades together, then sliced them away, creating a ripple of energy which grew and flew forward, creating an X-shaped energy blast from her blades. "Feel Maya's special move – Vacuum Blade!" Maya giggled as it hit Rangiku, ripping into her clothing and flesh, forcing her back into a large rock, knocking her out.

Toshiro was back up, and stared at Rangiku unconscious on the ground. He then turned to Maya and glared at her. "Damn you," he muttered. "Bankai, Daigoren Hyorinmaru!" Large icy wings and a tail erupted from his back, and the ice continued down his arm to his sword's hilt, forming the dragon's head.

He was interrupted by a familiar voice from above. "Hey, don't forget me, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki!" Kenpachi yelled, falling from the air, Yachiru on his back. He was closely followed by Ikkaku and Yumichika, who landed behind him. Toshiro looked upon the new arrivals and growled.

"Can't you see this is my fight, Kenpachi?" he askd, irritated. Kenpachi merely chuckled in response. "Come on, Toshiro, last time I checked, a fight was a free place, for anyone to join!"

Maya quickly sparked up as she saw Kenpachi. "Yay, Mr. Captain! You're my favourite enemy!" She then saw Ikkaku and Yumichika, "Oh, and Mr. Cue-Ball and Mr. Girly-Girl too!"

Ikkaku laughed. "This mod soul is so powerful, how long do you think the battle will last when you fight it, captain?" he asked. Kenpachi smirked. "I don't know Ikkaku, but I know that it'll be a long time," he said, then looked at Toshiro. "That is, if no-one interrupts me."

Toshiro growled in retaliation. Kenpachi stepped forward. "Mod soul!" he smirked. "Or should I call you Maya? I want a real fight with you – the strongest spiritual pressure in the whole of Soul Society at the moment!"

Maya nodded happily. "I like you Mr. Captain, so sure!" She then looked behind Ikkaku and Yumichika. "And then that means your friends can deal with my friends!" Yumichika and Ikkaku turned around, to see Ryo and Sakura standing behind them, swords drawn and full of confidence.

"Looks like you guys have to deal with us, huh?" Sakura giggled. "This'll be fun, right Ryo?" Ryo just glared at them both. This, instead of deterring them, made Yumichika and Ikkaku smile even wider.

"Let's go, Yumichika," Ikkaku laughed. "These idiots won't know what hit them when we're through with them!" Yumichika nodded. "Yes, there will be such an ugly massacre, but it will end in our beautiful victory!" They both drew their own swords and stood the two arrancar down.

* * *

Matthew and Sajin stared each other down, until Matthew used sonido to reappear behind Sajin, raising his arm and releasing his serpent again. The serpent grew its wings and flew into the air, to get and aerial view, whilst Matthew raises his other arm and pointed it to Sajin. "Gran rey cero!" he yelled, the large energy ball thrust to Sajin, but it was blocked by the timely parry of the giant's sword.

Sajin turned around and stabbed down with his sword in the air. The giant mimicked this, stabbing into the ground, directly where Matthew was, causing him to dodge and dive to avoid any damage. Just as he thought it was over, the last stab caught his right leg, and he fell to his knees.

Sajin took his chance and stabbed into the air, swiping across. The giant mimicked him again, stabbing into the ground and slashing through to meet Matthew's torso, but was blocked as the serpent flew down and intervened. It smashed its head against the sword, forcing it back out of the ground.

The serpent then spun around, using its tail like a whip, smashing into the giant and knocking him to the floor. Sajin looked back, surprised. This was the opening Matthew needed and pointed both palms at him.

"Tosigo Dos – Puntura!" he smirked. His palms opened and pointed barbs flew out, implanting themselves into Sajin's flesh. He roared in agony and fell to his knees in pain. The giant had slowly stood up, but was now mimicking Sajin's current movements, and was bowed almost in defeat.

Matthew stood up slowly and dusted himself off. "Well then, mutt, it seems like I'm the victor here," he laughed. "It was good whilst it lasted, mutt." He raised his right hand and pointed all his fingers at Sajin's skull. "Tosigo Cinco..."

He was interrupted however, as Hiroshi slashed down onto his claw, then kicked him back, making Matthew trip over his own serpent's tail. Hiroshi smirked as this happened, which also allowed Sajin to slowly stand up.

"Hiroshi, will you be alright?" Terri asked, appearing behind him, "If so, I'll go help Head-Captain Seiryoku." Hiroshi turned and smiled. "Of course, Terri, no problem, go on ahead." Terri nodded, then flash-stepped away to help Kiyomi.

Matthew stood up slowly, angered. "So, you're back huh?" he asked. "Didn't have enough last time then?" Hiroshi laughed slightly. "Last time I remember, I rusted your sword away, so you're not in a place to talk."

"Heh, that was pure luck and you know it," Matthew retaliated. "Since then, I had to absorb about 210 human souls to get this sword back up and running, and I could only get my original back because you were _gracious_ enough to leave my hilt – the last remaining part of Rey del Reptils."

"Yeah, well, I can control my powers much more efficiently this time around," Hiroshi replied. "And that's because Head-Captain Seiryoku has taught both Terri and I about everything a soul reaper needs to know. This time around, I'll leave you with less than a hilt."

Matthew chuckled darkly. "Well, well, well, the soul reaper kid has an attitude now, I see." He burst out laughing. "That's not something that Soul Society likes, is it? An attitude..."

Sajin had now stood up, as had the giant behind him. "Mr. Takahashi, nice to see you," he said, happy to see an ally. Hiroshi smiled back and raised his sword to Matthew. "Let's see if last time was a fluke, huh? Rust away, Ouja no Fushoku!" His sword merely disintegrated in the wind, turning into a brown powder which surrounded him like mist.

"Let's see how strong you are to corrosion, arrancar," Hiroshi smirked. "This is for Terri!" Matthew smiled back at that comment. "Of course, you won't see her ever again..." he added, slyly.

* * *

_And so Kenji's fight wasn't really meant to be Kenji's fight after all... I somehow saw that coming. With each battle now set up, and the in-battle debuts of some of the characters, things can only get more chaotic. Also, at this crucial point in this fic, I'd enjoy some feedback to see what I'm doing right and wrong, if you could. Just a suggestion._

_**Next chapter:** We'll be focusing on 4 of these battles, as Ikkaku faces the mysterious Ryo; Yumichika faces the cheery Sakura; Soifon, Naomi and Zeo face the dangerous duo of Kaede and Rei; and Kenpachi and Toshiro face the (admittedly) psychotic Maya, all in the second part of the 3-parter: 'Battle Royale Part 2'._


	19. Battle Royale Part 2

**

* * *

**

Chapter 18 – Battle Royale Part 2

Zeo smirked. "Alright, ladies," he growled. "This time, I'll be the one to cut you down." Naomi stood by his side, radiating confidence. "And so will I, as I owe you revenge for cutting up both my brother and my Zeo!"

Soifon stood up strong behind them and dusted herself off. "You came to save me... thank you," she said, softly. Naomi looked behind her and nodded to Soifon, smirking. Zeo continued to glare the visoreds' way.

Kaede stared back, but Rei was starting to get annoyed. "Come on, let's just slay them already!" she yelled to her sister, who quickly shook her head. "No," Kaede replied softly, "we wait until they attack, and then attack back."

Soifon raised her hand, her shikai still around her finger. Zeo raised his arm, and placed his sword horizontally. "Fade, Shikyotenshi!" His sword split apart into two large cleavers tied together by a chain. He took hold of the hilts and wrapped the chain behind him, crossing the blades in an aggressive stance, whilst skeletal wings grew from his back.

"Shimmer, Seireitenshi!" Naomi yelled, her sword erupting in spiritual pressure and turning into her bardiche. Soifon walked forward and stood next to them, her blade ready for action. Kaede and Rei also raised their weapons, and a cold tension rose over the battlefield.

Kaede and Rei flash-stepped away in different directions, forcing Naomi and Soifon to turn away from Zeo to make a fan-like defence line. Rei appeared overhead, whilst Kaede appeared in front of Soifon, slashing across, Soifon blocking perfectly. Rei, however, rushed down to the ground, blades ready to cut Soifon to pieces.

Zeo turned and blocked with one of his cleavers, the other one being brought around to block Rei's second sword slash. Soifon turned slightly to see the situation, then flash-stepped away to a safe distance, Kaede in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, Naomi had finally spun around and slashed with her bardiche, barely scratching Rei's leg as she flipped back a few metres. "Not bad, arrancar," Rei complimented Zeo, "much better than last time." She then looked at Naomi. "And you're also quite good, to lay a scratch on me takes skill."

Naomi smirked. "Of course, I am the Lieutenant of Squad 5, Naomi Ruhodesu, and currently Stand-In Captain for Squad 5, so I'm not surprised I can keep up with you." Rei's face fell. "Don't be so cocky, girl," she said flatly, "As I am much stronger than I look, especially when my sister is in close proximity."

With that comment she flash-stepped, appearing behind Naomi and taking a stab with one of her staffs. Zeo turned quickly to block for her, but Naomi had already done so, the blade on her bardiche glinting slightly. Zeo smirked at this and rushed forward, slashing with one cleaver. Rei saw this and flipped intricately to dodge the line of energy, remembering what happened the last time it hit. She finished by landing behind him and slashing him in the back, sending him to the ground.

Naomi ran at her in a fury, slicing down with her bardiche, which Rei blocked effortlessly. She then pushed back, and Naomi had to dig her heels in the ground to keep her stability. She sidestepped Rei, skilfully, and slashed across, Rei struggling to block it with her blades. Naomi's blade sparked yet again, and her smile continued to grow.

Rei spun on her heel and forced Naomi back with a flurry of swift strikes with her blades, each clash with Naomi's blade causing it to spark even more. Rei gradually became aware of this and stopped, setting her staffs in an aggressive stance.

"What is your blade doing?" she asked, curious. Naomi merely shrugged it off and slashed forward, snapping Rei back into action and blocking effortlessly. Naomi's blade glistened even stronger; a light which temporarily blinded Rei, so Naomi took this chance to retreat a few metres back.

She raised her bardiche and set it vertically in front of her. "Seireitenshi!" she yelled. "Oozora Reitentei!" She raised the blade high and then slashed down with incredible velocity, a large wave of energy erupting from it and moving swiftly towards Rei. Rei instinctively raised her blades to her head, to defend herself.

The energy wave hit Rei squarely and she fell to the ground with a thud. Her breath escaped her lungs, followed by blood. Naomi breathed in deep and placed her bardiche over her shoulder. Rei stood up slowly, deep cuts now visible across her torso and arms.

"Not bad, Ruhodesu," she smirked, "not bad at all. I can tell that you and Raven are related, since you have the same attitude when you make a good move. But attitude doesn't get you anywhere."

Zeo slowly got up and dusted himself off. "Damn, that smarts," he cursed. He turned and saw Rei and Naomi staring each other down and ran over to Naomi's side. Rei made a face. "Actually, I'm quite surprised that a shikai could leave such a mark on me during our bankai," Rei continued. "If you could explain, I would be grateful."

Naomi smirked. "Well, my Seireitenshi undergoes primarily cosmetic changes when released, but after absorbing melee and kido attacks, it can fire that energy back in one large blast." Zeo also smirked. "And that's only her shikai, just wait until she releases her bankai."

* * *

Maya raised her tanto blades and took a stance, facing down both Toshiro and Kenpachi. Kenpachi slung his sword over his shoulder and started to laugh. "This'll be excellent!" he smiled. "You were quite powerful last time, and I hope you're more powerful this time around!"

Toshiro merely growled. 'That Kenpachi is always butting into where he isn't wanted,' he thought. 'How irritating...' His train of thought was cut short as Maya had leaped up with little effort and was slashing down with her tanto. Toshiro blocked and deflected the shot, then backed up and raised his sword.

Toshiro moved his sword in an aggressive way, which whipped up an icy cold wind, which blew into Maya and made her shiver slightly. She then gripped her tanto hard. "Wow, Maya's impressed, little boy," Maya smiled, with Toshiro's face falling at the 'little boy' comment. "But it probably can't hurt Maya, since Maya is really strong, right Mr. Captain?" she asked Kenpachi.

Kenpachi smirked. "Yeah, sure, mod soul," he chuckled, "really strong. Just bring it on, alright?" Maya nodded, smiling, and disappeared, reappearing behind Toshiro and slashing at his back. She quickly disappeared and reappeared in front of Kenpachi, slicing down with both of her tanto. Kenpachi effortlessly blocked, parrying the strike and forcing Maya backwards, which she answered with a back-flip into a stable landing.

Toshiro felt his back, which was only slightly scratched, and rushed forward, stabbing his sword forward also. "Ryusenka!" he yelled, stabbing into Maya, who screamed as she slowly froze over. She then shattered into pieces as Toshiro slashed at her icy cocoon, but then a laugh radiated around the area.

"Did Maya fool the little boy?" Maya giggled, slowly fading into view above both Kenpachi and Toshiro. Toshiro grimaced again as Maya called him a child. She floated above them both and giggled hysterically. "Maya is having so much fun! Maya needs to thank you two when Maya's finished!"

Kenpachi laughed, impressed. "I didn't even see you warp that time, girl," he admitted. "I like that. I like the fact that this will be a challenge!" Maya smiled in reply to Kenpachi's laugh. "Let's continue, yeah?" Maya asked, disappearing yet again.

She appeared behind Kenpachi, who turned quickly to slice at her, but Maya blocked with one tanto, slashing at Kenpachi's chest with the other. The blade ran deep through Kenpachi's flesh, blood erupting out of the wound like lava from a volcano. All this time Kenpachi had a wide, surreal grin on his face.

"Yes, this is it! Pure adrenaline! I haven't felt like this in years!" he laughed, his voice full of ecstasy. Toshiro, meanwhile, had flash-stepped behind Maya, and stabbed at her. He punctured her side and removed his blade harshly, removing a lot of flesh from the wound. Maya fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Maya hurts so much!" she yelled, grabbing her side. Toshiro looked quizzically at her, wondering if what he had done was a mistake. Maya saw his hesitation and smirked, disappearing from view. "Vacuum Twister!" could be heard over the rushes of wind from the lightning-fast stabs made to Toshiro's body, creating a twister-like wall around him.

After Maya appeared again, facing Toshiro with a smirk on her face, Toshiro fell to the ground slowly, eyes wide open. Blood slowly trickled from the numerous cuts and punctures that dotted his torso. Kenpachi stepped forward after Toshiro had fallen and passed out, and faced Maya himself.

"And now that Toshiro's gone, we can have our one on one fight!" he chuckled. He then stabbed forward, Maya dodging swiftly. Maya then disappeared, reappearing above Kenpachi, smiling wildly. "Dimensional Blast 3: Energy Cage!" she yelled, balls of energy forming, and subsequently encircling, around Kenpachi, who looked around, confused.

The energy balls started to hum and fluctuate in power, Maya controlling them from above. "Now you say bye-bye, Mr. Captain!" she smiled, clenching her fist, the balls of energy erupting quickly in a large blast of power. When the dust cleared, Kenpachi was kneeling, panting for his breath. Before he could do anything, however, Maya appeared in front of him and tapped him on the forehead. "Dimensional Wall 2: Mental Separation!"

Kenpachi's eyes went blank and he fell backwards, unconscious. Maya, happy with herself, turned and walked away, slowly turning it into a skip.

* * *

Sakura and Yumichika traded blows yet again. They both fell back and rushed forward again, slashing at each other. Yumichika growled as Sakura started to giggle at him, for what reason he didn't know.

"What are you laughing at, girl?" he asked, giving her a dark look. "Your ugly laugh is not needed in Soul Society." Sakura giggled even more. "Oh man, you're cracking me up here!" she smiled. "I mean, you describe everything that isn't to do with you as 'ugly' and everything to do with you as 'beautiful'. Obviously, it should be the other way around!"

Yumichika's face fell. "You'll pay for that remark, you ugly arrancar!" he yelled. "Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" His sword shrunk and split at the blade, forming four sickles emanating from the hilt. "You will feel the sting of the blade of 5th Seat of Squad 11, Yumichika Ayasegawa!" he bragged. "And since I introduced myself, I think it's fair for you to do the same, right?"

Sakura smirked. "Yeah sure," she started, taking a pose. "I am the 4th Knight of Lord Matthew's Fearful Four, Sakura Okui!" Yumichika scoffed at that statement and rushed forward to stab her, but Sakura dodged quickly and stabbed forward herself. Her blade caught Yumichika's abdomen, blood escaping slowly from the wound.

She back-flipped away and took a stance again. "And now you'll see my release!" she smirked. "As nature breathes, may beauty shine through and may life thrive, Rosavenseval!" Her sword erupted in a twister of wind, rose petals visible in that twister. When the wind died down, Yumichika could see Sakura's resurrection. She was now covered in petals and leaves of all sizes, which were placed at random intervals on her body, though the largest made up her new dress, which now showed some cleavage, and her head held a tiara of some sort of root or thorn. Her sword had now separated into twin sai, and an aura of power surrounded her, along with rose petals which formed a large circle around her.

Sakura smiled darkly and threw one sai at Yumichika, who dodged it, but did not expect it to come back, which it did after Sakura gestured. The winds changed, carrying the sai back the way it came, skewering through a weak point in Yumichika's shoulder.

The sai flew back and landed in Sakura's hand, and she giggled. "Mother Nature has more than one way of dealing with fools like you, so let me show you!" She raised her hands and the rose petals and leaves covering and surrounding her flew out on the wind and created a large, twisting barrier around the two of them.

"Now that you are in my 'Wall of Nature', you can't possibly escape!" she yelled, running up and forcing her sai into pressure points on Yumichika's body. Yumchika coughed up blood and fell to the ground, but Sakura just hit him upward with a sai jab to the sternum and then forced him down again with a sai jab to the spine.

She crouched down and picked Yumichika up by the throat, using the space between the sai prongs as the tool for this job. She held him up at arm's length to see the look on his face before she planned to slay him.

Instead what she found was a smirk. "To die beautifully is what I most desire, so if this is the end, so be it," Yumichika muttered. Sakura almost burst out laughing at this comment. "What?!" she asked, in disbelief. "You'd rather die than do anything?!"

Yumichika nodded. "If I was to do anything further, I would be going against my promise to myself – to never show my true power in front of anyone." Sakura giggled. "There's no reason to hold back, fool, as no-one can see you! My 'Wall of Nature' blocks view and entry for everyone outside. All they'd feel if they came through was a rush of razor sharp cuts surrounding their body, knocking them unconscious."

Yumichika came to life slightly. "So you're saying no-one can see me?" he said, curious. Sakura nodded, an evil smile crossing her face. Yumichika sighed – a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens. That means I can do this!"

His formerly 'limp' arm holding his sword suddenly came to life, raising it in the air. "Bloom, Ruriiro Kujaku!" he yelled, his blades quickly constricting around Sakura's arm, and slowly slithering down the rest of her body. She was so overcome with shock, she dropped Yumichika to the ground, where he landed on his knees.

"My zanpakuto's real name is Ruriiro Kujaku, but I normally call it Fuji Kujaku, which annoys it greatly," he explained. "When I call it by its real name, it becomes much stronger, capable of absorbing the energy of the one the vines constrict. It is because of this fact I only use it when I am sure no-one can see it, as kido-based blades are looked down on in my squad."

Sakura fell to her knees, the vines quickly forcing the air out of her lungs. "It's actually unfortunate that you did that 'Wall of Nature' thing, otherwise you would've beaten me," Yumichika continued, gradually getting stronger, enough to stand up.

"Of course, not even you can defeat this feat of nature," he smirked, "although I'll undoubtedly remember you. Truthfully, you aren't as ugly as others I have faced in the past." Sakura clutched her throat as the last of her air escaped her lungs, and the last of her spiritual energy was drained from her. Her limp, dead body fell face-first to the ground and the storm of leaves and petals around them died out, leaving Yumichika standing perfectly healthy over the lifeless body of Sakura.

* * *

Ikkaku and Ryo traded blows, cuts carved into their torsos, neither of them giving any chance for the other to take advantage of. Ikkaku finally began to get irritated. "Man, you don't give up either, huh?" he asked, smirking. Ryo, however, didn't answer.

Irked even more, Ikkaku fell back and grabbed his sheath in his right hand. He forced both his sheath and the sword's hilt together, yelling "Extend, Hozukimaru!", as he did so, his sword extending into his naginata. He stabbed forward, Ryo dodging effortlessly, and then kicking Ikkaku back. Ikkaku jumped overhead and landed, slashing his spear straight down, barely missing Ryo as he sidestepped.

Ryo stopped on his heel and swiped his sword to his side. "May I ask of your name and title, soul reaper?" he asked, politely. Ikkaku questioned this, but answered nonetheless. "I am 3rd Seat of Squad 11, Ikkaku Madarame. And you?" he replied, smirking. Ryo nodded.

"I am Ryo Sakai, 1st Knight of Lord Matthew's Fearful Four," he answered, proudly. He raised his sword vertically, at the side of his head, and started to speak softly. "Eradicate, Sentencia de l'Anubis!"

His sword grew and curved into a large scimitar, and the bandages around his limbs and torso grew, apparently gaining a life of their own, as the ends grew outward from his body, arching themselves, like snakes ready to attack. His uniform opened up, his coattails lengthening out and his whole outfit turning black.

His mask's eyes glowed red, and a low growling was heard deep from within his throat. He looked up at Ikkaku, and snarled. "You shall be put to death, by the judgement of Lord Anubis!" He raised his free hand and one of the 'living' bandages flew at Ikkaku, who made a slash at it, but it wrapped around the staff of his naginata, drawing him in.

Ryo then raised his scimitar and slashed down as Ikkaku was dragged close to him, cutting into Ikkaku's chest. Another bandage wrapped around Ikkaku's other arm, the two picking him up by the arms. Ryo laughed curtly as he looked at the prone form of Ikkaku, then slashed through his chest, blood erupting from the wound, spraying over Ryo.

The bandages then threw Ikkaku away, him falling to the ground roughly. Ryo smirked at the fallen Ikkaku, then turned to see Sakura's 'Wall of Nature' dissolve, and Yumichika standing over the dead form of Sakura. He merely turned on his heel and walked through the garganta that appeared behind him, but held a glare on Yumichika as he left.

* * *

Soifon blocked Kaede's attack and then flash-stepped backwards, to get some distance. She readied her blade to stab Kaede in the back, to finish her shikai's ability, but was rushed by Kaede, her twin staffs attempting to cut Soifon in half. Soifon dodged swiftly, and then attempted to stab Kaede's arm.

Kaede saw this coming and dodged, flash-stepping away. She then crossed her two blades, charging up energy in the blades. She sliced outwards, sending a wave of energy, slamming into Soifon's chest, sending her into the ground, making her cough up blood.

Kaede turned quickly to Rei. "Sister, I need to charge up! We need to resonate!" she yelled, Rei noticing and flash-stepping to her aid. She touched the tips of her blades with Kaede's, charging up their power. As the energy flowed around them, their wounds healed and they looked healthy.

Naomi and Zeo appeared at Soifon's side. Naomi checked on her. "She's out, Zeo," she said. "It looks like it's up to us." Zeo nodded. Naomi stood up and raised her bardiche. "Bankai, Kozumikkukouken Seireitenshi!" Her bardiche grew slightly, it becoming a double-sided bardiche, and wings sprouted from her back, one black and one white.

Zeo unsheathed his other sword and raised it. "I know that it brings awful memories back, but it looks like I need it. Writhe, Tenencia!" The blade disappeared, instead bony claws and a tail grew from under his flesh.

He flash-stepped behind Kaede and made a slice with Shikyotenshi, which she dodged, barely. Naomi was seemingly in the line of fire of Shikyotenshi, but she flash-stepped away just in time. She reappeared in front of Rei and struck her with her bardiche. Rei flash-stepped back and felt the wound that had appeared on her arm where Naomi had sliced her.

Zeo pointed his right hand at Kaede and shot out all five needles, which Kaede blocked easily. She then rushed at him, forcing him to dodge and land next to Naomi again. "We need to do something drastic, Nai," Zeo mused. Naomi nodded. "Let's go in for a big attack then," she replied, smirking.

They both readied their blades, and then rushed forward. Kaede and Rei, meanwhile, saw this coming and smirked to each other. They also rushed forward, and just when their attacks were going to collide, both Kaede and Rei yelled in unison, "Hakyoku no Ongaku!" They span their staffs before they made contact with Naomi and Zeo, causing a large explosion of sound-waves, sending all four back into walls behind them, effectively knocking Naomi and Zeo out, whilst both Kaede and Rei smirked.

"Beaten," Rei laughed, "just like I promised." Kaede stood up and dusted herself off. "Not bad, you two," she admitted, "although, it was written in destiny that we would win. Just like it is written in destiny that we will get our revenge."

They took one final look at the fallen Naomi and Zeo, and turned to walk through a garganta. Zeo strained to open his eyes, watching the victors walk away relatively unscathed, and he snarled. 'Bitches, just wait until next time...' he thought.

* * *

_And the battles are coming to an end, it seems. Whilst both sides have won and lost, neither has won the war yet. But we still have unfinished battles to go, and that's what next chapter before. Also, I don't want this to sound like me pleading (me? pleading? ha...), but some reviews would really help me in steering this in the right direction._

_**Next chapter:** 'Battle Royale Part 3' is up next - the final part of this cataclysmic bout. Matthew tries to exact some revenge when facing Hiroshi and Sajin, whilst Kenji faces off Kiyomi again, Terri making her way there to aid her. Expect unexpected shocks galore next week._


	20. Battle Royale Part 3

**Chapter 19 – Battle Royale Part 3**

Kiyomi watched, repulsed, as the hollow slowly pieced together in front of her. It stood tall when it finished and loomed over her, smiling grotesquely. Kenji smirked and raised his sword, pointing at Kiyomi.

"Just face it, Kiyomi, I've won," he sneered. "If you give up now, I promise I won't hurt you, in fact, I'll take _good care_ of you." The emphasis on 'good care' unnerved Kiyomi, and she noticeably shivered.

"You make me sick, Kenji," she replied, glaring at him. "Are you going to fight me, or will I have to goad you into it, coward?" This comment made Kenji snap, and he glared daggers at Kiyomi, who merely brushed her hair from her face.

"Bitch!" he yelled, irritated. "I'll make you pay for those words!" He gestured, and the hollow swiped its claw down at Kiyomi, who dodged, flash-stepping behind Kenji and slicing through his back. She flash-stepped back to her original position, smirking.

"Kenji, are you losing your touch?" she asked, sarcastically. "You seem to be slower than usual. Or maybe it's just me being quicker?" Kenji stood up slowly, cursing under his breath. He smirked however, and gestured to the hollow again, the hollow responding by firing a cero at Kiyomi.

She dodged, then flash-stepped to slash at Kenji again, however Kenji counterattacked and forced Kiyomi back a few feet, the hollow taking notice of this and firing another cero. Kiyomi flash-stepped from the situation and landed some distance behind the hollow.

"Constrict, Tsutasenjo!" she yelled, her sword flowing out, surrounded by emerald green energy, into the shape of a thorny whip. She snapped the whip at her feet, and it extended, piercing into the ground, as if tunnelling through it. Suddenly, taking the hollow by surprise, a large thorny vine shot out of the ground and gave it an uppercut to the jaw, knocking it to the ground.

Kenji looked, in amazement, at his fallen comrade, then turned to see a smirking Kiyomi staring at him. The vine receded into the ground, then her whip receded from the ground, leaving large holes where they had pierced through.

"How was that, Ito?" she asked, confidently. Kenji seethed, then gestured, his hollow standing again. Kiyomi's eyes read Kenji's emotion, and she decided to work him up even more. "What? A sore loser, are we?" she taunted, letting out a soft laugh. Kenji gestured, and the hollow lunged forward, almost in anger, swiping for Kiyomi.

She dodged, then snapped her whip at Kenji, hitting him in the stomach and sending him to the floor, clutching his torso in pain. He looked up and growled. He breathed in slowly then stood up to dust himself off.

His grimace then inverted, a smirk appearing in its place, and he started to laugh. This laugh wasn't just cold, it was devoid of anything. "I must give you credit, Kiyomi," he said, in between breaths, "You seem to be much stronger than I previously thought." His expression then changed drastically, to a cold, blank glare. "But do not think that this means you will defeat me. As you should remember, my sword has many surprises, and my hollow is just one of them..."

He raised his sword, pointing it at Kiyomi. "Oscuropira..." he spoke, his sword erupting into black flames, dancing around his form. He smirked, then flash-stepped behind Kiyomi, slashing across, the flames burning into her flesh, making her fall to her knees in pain.

He then gestured and flash-stepped away, as his hollow shot a gran rey cero straight into Kiyomi's felled form, creating a large explosion on impact, kicking up a dust cloud.

* * *

Matthew stood, staring down both Hiroshi, surrounded by his shikai, and a panting Sajin with his giant behind him. Matthew himself was in his resurrection form, his silver scales glistening in the light. He smirked and swiftly used sonido to appear behind Hiroshi to attack him, but as he clawed at him, Hiroshi's shikai solidified and blocked.

Matthew jumped back, and then had to dodge an oncoming slice from Sajin's bankai, which barely missed his neck because of a timely spin on Matthew's part. He landed and stared them both down again, irked.

"How are you so quick to react, you little punk?" he asked Hiroshi. Hiroshi merely smirked back. "Why? Surprised arrancar?" he asked, taunting him. Matthew growled, then raised his arm, his serpent growing from it and flying into the air. It looked down on Hiroshi and Sajin and hissed slightly, then looked face to face at Sajin's giant, to which it showed its fangs.

Sajin gestured, and the giant swiped at the serpent, who dodged and wrapped its form around it, attempting to crush it into submission. Hiroshi looked up, in awe, but was then interrupted by Matthew, who had used sonido to appear behind him.

"Hey," Matthew whispered, "don't take your eyes off of me, or you may regret it." He punched Hiroshi squarely in the side of the jaw, sending him to the ground a couple of feet away. His shikai followed him and surrounded him, forming a defensive shield.

Hiroshi stood up, struggling, and looked at his shikai. 'Huh, a bit too late to form a barrier, don't you think?' he thought to himself, annoyed. He rubbed his jaw and flinched in pain. He then gestured angrily at Matthew, and the dust cloud formed a spear shape and flew at him.

Matthew waited until the last moment to dodge, and did so effortlessly, appearing behind Hiroshi yet again. "Tosigo Seis – Encierro!" he laughed, barbs launching from under his skin and wrapping around Hiroshi. Thin strands of fibres were attached to them, and eventually tied Hiroshi down to the ground, the barbs implanting themselves firmly in the earth.

Hiroshi struggled to escape, but couldn't. He gestured with his eyes, and the dust cloud neared, but Matthew swatted it away with his claws. Hiroshi's eyes widened as he saw Matthew's next attack slowly appearing.

"Tosigo Cinco..." he started, his nails growing out slowly. However, Sajin rushed in, slicing Matthew's hand off with a strong attack, followed by the crash of the serpent's body to the ground. Matthew looked into Sajin's inhuman eyes, and a slight wave of fear crossed his mind, as Sajin continued slashing at Matthew's body, the cuts getting deeper and quicker.

Matthew's eyes slowly went blank. Sajin held back finally, and Matthew's body fell to the ground, lifeless. Sajin stepped back to look at his work, when a slash came in from his side. A scimitar came down and cut into his shoulder, forcing him to flash-step to a safe distance.

Ryo had arrived, and stood in front of Matthew, defending him from harm. "You dare attack my Lord without going through me first?" he asked, angered. "If so, you mortal fool, you do not deserve to live."

Matthew's apparent defeat had released the fibres that were holding Hiroshi down, and he got up quickly, flash-stepping over to Ryo to attack him. He gestured, and the dust cloud reformed, slashing at Ryo, who didn't even flinch.

Ryo's bandages merely got in the way, blocking, and protecting Ryo from any harm. Hiroshi growled and backed off, reforming his dust cloud next to him. He attempted to attack again, but was interrupted by a slash from a claw.

He dodged back, but Matthew forced forward more, slashing into Hiroshi's abdomen and sending him to the ground in a heap. Matthew smirked at his prone form. "Hey, have I not said?" he asked, sarcastically. "I can use my dead skin as a shield, and then remove it to heal my wounds." He started to laugh darkly.

* * *

Byakuya sat up from his mattress and looked out to the academy ruins, in the distance. He stood up quickly and gathered his things, starting to get changed into his captain uniform. He was almost finished when he heard a knock on his door, to which he went to answer.

Before him stood a bandaged-up Renji, smirking. "So captain, are we going to help the others?" he asked, full of energy. Byakuya nodded, putting his sword into its rightful place at his waist.

"Yes, Renji," he replied, slowly. "And we shall finally rid Soul Society of these fiends once and for all."

"Then I'm coming too!" came a voice to their side. They both turned quickly, their eyes widening when they saw her. Rukia came walking up to them, a confident look on her face.

"I want to help our goal too, so I want to fight with you," she continued. Renji got ready to retort, but Byakuya raised his hand to him. He then turned to Rukia.

"Rukia, if you do so wish to fight for Soul Society, then I insist that you come with us, yet if you are ever in any danger, do not fret, as I shall be there soon enough." Rukia smiled softly. "Thank you, Byakuya," she answered.

Byakuya nodded, then flash-stepped off to the ruins, followed by Rukia and a tentative Renji.

* * *

Raven flinched and held onto his side as he stepped out of his room, ready for battle. He was going to flash-step away when a voice cleared its throat behind him. He sighed and turned to meet the owner of the voice.

"Crystal, so nice to see you," he said, muttering under his breath. Crystal saw through his fake act and walked up to him, face to face. "You were thinking of going to help them all?" she asked. "In your condition?!" she added.

Raven merely looked far into the distance, as a large crash sounded, followed by a loud whir of sound. Raven flinched at the latter sound, reminding him of his last battle. Crystal continued. "Come on, Rae, you can't do this," she pleaded. "Just stay here with me. Naomi and Zeo are there, they can take care of things."

Raven didn't believe that statement. He looked into Crystal's eyes, and turned back to the ruins, to which he instantly flash-stepped to, leaving Crystal alone. She became flustered. "Did he just _ignore_ me?" she asked herself. She turned on her heel and flash-stepped after him, following him like a hawk.

* * *

Kenji chuckled darkly as the dust cloud cleared, showing a large impact crater where Kiyomi's body used to be. He smirked even wider as he saw this. "So, Kiyomi escaped did she?" he said, looking around. "Come on, I can sense your spiritual pressure!" he taunted.

Kiyomi complied, and she appeared to his right, panting heavily. She whispered "Synthesise", then ran at Kenji at full speed, whip ready. She snapped it down at Kenji's feet, forming a vine which grew quickly from the mark on the ground, slightly scratching into Kenji's skin before he backed off.

She smirked slightly and raised her whip, ready to strike again. Kenji started to run at her, in reply, and then gestured just before he hit, the hollow lunging in from the other side of her. Kiyomi turned in shock, and fully expected to be touched by it, instead of being blocked by a wall of wind.

She opened her eyes and saw Terri standing between the hollow and Kiyomi, smiling back at her. "I'm sorry I'm late, Head-Captain Seiryoku, but Captain Hitsugaya needed some help," she apologised. Kenji growled.

"This little brat again?!" he yelled. "I thought Matthew was going to take care of her!" Terri held the hollow's claws back with Kazedoragon with little effort, so she turned slightly to look at Kenji.

"Kenji Ito, I cannot allow you to continue with these atrocities, so I will help to defeat you today!" she commanded. Her voice was much more confident than the first time she and Kenji met, and Kenji noticed this.

'Dammit, she seems much stronger this time around,' he thought to himself. 'I hope that she isn't as strong as I _think_ she is, or I'm in trouble.' He raised his sword and smirked again. "Oscuropira!" he yelled, his sword erupting into black flames yet again, and surrounding Kiyomi and himself.

His hollow smiled grotesquely and slashed at Terri, who had to move back to avoid its claw. She smirked at it. "And I'm guessing you can't tell me what you can do, since your master is indisposed of at the moment?" she asked, looking back at the circle of black flames trapping Kiyomi and Kenji.

She was surprised, however, as the hollow answered back in a raspy, cold voice. "I do nothing that an ordinary hollow cannot do..." it spoke. "Although I do put those I touch into comas..."

Terri looked up at it, unnerved. "Well, I actually didn't expect you to speak..." she admitted. "But thanks for the heads up anyway." She drew another sword, the one from her back, and raised it up. "Flash, Doragonsumiyaka!" she yelled, a burst of energy releasing from it.

She smirked, and then ran, her speed vastly increased by her new shikai. She also gestured with her left hand, the dragon-head appearing in the wind. She then encircled the hollow, keeping the dragon-head focused around it, creating a twister-like attack.

She stopped and escaped the pull of the wind, panting to the side of it. "My new attack," she whispered. "Sumiyaka Tatsumaki!" The tornado spun wildly, taking the hollow with it all the way. When the twister died down, the hollow was still left standing, albeit shaky on its feet.

"Hmm, well, you're better than I thought you'd be..." Terri mused, feeling slightly threatened.

* * *

Kiyomi looked around her. "Well, this is a new trick..." she started, but then changed her mind. "Or it isn't even your trick, is it?" she asked, expecting the answer.

"No, not really," Kenji replied. "An arrancar by the name of Daichi 'gave' me this power. It is an extremely useful ability, do you not think?"

"Unfortunately, I do not, Kenji," Kiyomi answered. "But I will say this, you will die here today."

Kenji smirked. "Is that true? Or is that an empty threat?" Kiyomi merely glared at him and snapped her whip his way, grappling around his arm. He yelled out in pain as the thorns dug into his prior injury, and he yanked his arm away before they could do any real damage.

"What Kenji?" Kiyomi asked, smirking. "Getting paranoid?" Kenji growled in retaliation, but didn't expect the whip to attack his head, which he had to dodge quickly. He went in to attack, but was cut off by Kiyomi's whip again. He then decided to flash-step past her, then attack, which he did but did not expect her to have flash-stepped away already. She appeared behind him and raised her hand.

"Hado 90, Kurohitsugi," she whispered, the black box forming around of Kenji and striking at him from within. After his scream subsided, the box disappeared and he fell out, staggering.

"Not bad, Kiyomi," he said, faintly. "Not bad at all. But that isn't everything I have." He raised his sword and smiled darkly. "Terminaras!" he yelled, dark energy gathering in his blade, and then being released as he slashed his blade towards Kiyomi. It was stopped, however, as a large being fell through the flame barrier and in between them both, blocking the attack.

"My... my hollow! How did this happen?" Kenji stammered. He looked around, and saw Terri looking surprised that the hollow had fallen into the barrier. She looked at Kenji and glared, to which Kenji got more annoyed.

"That damn bitch!" he yelled, raising his sword one more time. He was, however, cut off by a kido blade and petal-like blades firing at his feet. He turned to see both Raven and Byakuya with their shikais released, looming over him. Crystal, Renji and Rukia were also present behind them.

Kenji looked around, searching for an option. He tensed up and breathed in deep, but Kiyomi's whip snapped on his chest, breaking his concentration. Kiyomi smirked at him. "No emergency travelling this time around, Kenji," she taunted. "This time, you've been caught."

Terri smiled. Kenji has been caught. She was brought back to attention, though; as she remembered Hiroshi was still in battle. She turned to flash-step away.

* * *

Ryo merely blocked the repeated shots of Sajin's sword, his bandage grabbing the last one and reversing it into Sajin's torso. Sajin fell, coughing up blood, before Ryo swiftly took Sajin down with one slash from his scimitar. He looked over to Matthew, noted he was doing well, and so walked away, victorious.

Matthew looked back at Ryo's win, then smirked. 'He always was good, perhaps even better than me,' he thought. 'But still, this kid will now feel what it is like to have pain.'

He raised both of his arms and smirked. "Tosigo Nueve – Espada," he said, twin barbs appearing from under his wrists, which he then grabbed by the non-barbed 'hilts', like blades. He slashed down with one, Hiroshi blocking with his mist. Hiroshi then parried and swiped past Matthew's side, cutting into him with his dust cloud.

He stood and admired his work. "And now you'll start to dissolve, ever so slowly," he smirked. "A fitting end to a vile arrancar like yourself, do you not think?" Matthew however laughed in answer.

"Dissolve? I think not," he smirked. "I will just remove my skin if worst comes to worst, and then you'll have to start the whole process all over again. Face it kid, you've got no chance."

Hiroshi smirked. "I may not, but I can at least try, right?" he said, gesturing down, the dust cloud slashing at Matthew, which he blocked with his arm. A brown line appeared on it where he had blocked, and started to creep across his scales slowly. His eyes widened at this and he flew into the air, raising his palm.

"And if you can't hit me, you won't be able to kill me!" he laughed. "Tosigo Uno – Parálisis," he yelled, a barb appearing from under his wrist and firing at Hiroshi's shoulder. Hiroshi saw it all too late and it punctured through his shoulder, sending a sharp pain through him.

He stood immobilised as the pain ran down his body, and when Matthew appeared in front of him, he moved his arm to move the dust cloud, but he found that he couldn't. Matthew slashed at him with his twin-barbs, knocking him to the ground and ripping into his chest.

"My Tosigo Uno paralyses my opponent when it hits, fool," Matthew laughed. "And just like I promised, you won't see your girlfriend ever again!" Hiroshi's eyes widened at that comment, and he struggled to stand up, but he couldn't – the pain and venom combined restrained him.

All he could do was sit up slightly, until Terri flash-stepped into the fight, looking for him. "Hiroshi! Are you alright?" she asked, before she gasped in horror. Matthew had used sonido to disappear, and was now behind Hiroshi, hand outstretched. "Terri!" Hiroshi answered, scared. Terri started to run for him, to save him, but it was too late.

Matthew laughed. "Tosigo Cinco – Ejecución!" he smiled, his nails extending rapidly into the back of Hiroshi's skull. Hiroshi's eyes slowly rolled back into his head, as Matthew's nails exited on the other side of Hiroshi's face, blood dripping from them slowly.

Matthew retracted his nails and laughed darkly as Hiroshi fell to the ground, his shikai disappearing completely. Terri rushed over to Hiroshi and took him in her arms, cradling his head. "Hiroshi..." she said, sobbing, "Don't die on me! Hiroshi!"

Matthew looked back as he opened the garganta. "Oh, Zakura-girl, thanks for providing a distraction," he said. "If it weren't for you, I would never have had the chance to kill your boyfriend!" He laughed and walked through, the garganta closing behind him and leaving Terri alone and cold, Hiroshi dead in her arms.

* * *

_And so it appears that Kenji has finally been captured, but at what price? Terri has now lost her closest friend, so I'd say it was pretty bittersweet to her._

_**Next chapter:** Any death hits you hard, especially when it is of someone close. Terri deals with this pain, whilst Kenji attempts one last-ditch effort to escape, but with five captain and lieutenant-level soul reapers overlooking him, is this his end? Find out, next week, in the twentieth chapter - 'Mourning'._


	21. Mourning

**Chapter 20 – Mourning**

Terri's eyes welled up. "Come on Hiroshi, wake up!" she pleaded, desperately. "You can wake up, right?" She waited for something – a faint ray of hope – but Hiroshi's face remained dead and cold.

Terri stopped crying and stared into his blank glassy eyes. A minute went past, then she finally broke down, burying her head in his chest, his blood covering her silver hair and matting it up.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kiyomi looking over her, sympathetically. Terri looked up at her, but turned back to Hiroshi's lifeless form, squeezing it tighter. Kiyomi knelt down beside her, sorrow on her face.

"I know that you feel pain, Terri, but he was felled in battle, where some people say is the most honourable place for a warrior to fall," she said, slowly and tentatively. Terri loosened her grip on Hiroshi, looking into Kiyomi's eyes, when suddenly rain started to fall. She quickly looked up, seeing that dark clouds had gathered over the area quite swiftly.

Terri lowered her head, her hair overshadowing her eyes. "I... I can't believe..." she mumbled. "He's... gone... forever..." she added, welling up again. Kiyomi put her arm around her shoulder, pulling Terri closer.

"I don't think he'd want you to be sad, Terri," Kiyomi answered, solemnly. "I think he'd want you to use this as motivation to get better – to live a fuller life." Terri nodded half-heartedly, before breaking down yet again. This was Kiyomi's cue to stand up and leave, quietly.

* * *

Raven had his bankai released, and the darkness clouded over on the sky, bringing pitch-black clouds rushing over the area. "So, Kenji, how do you want to die?" Raven taunted, smiling darkly. "Do you want to be deleted from existence by me, or be ripped to shreds by Byakuya's bankai?"

Kenji snarled, glaring at him. "Stop joking around, Ruhodesu," he spat. Raven merely sighed confidently. "I'm not joking around, Kenji," he said, "this is your end, and I'm being gracious enough to allow you a choice of death."

Byakuya stepped forward, holding out his sword. "Make your foolish choice quickly, or I will have no other option, Kenji," he said, flatly. "Raven's disturbing game can only test my patience for a while, you should know."

Raven's face fell. "Screw this, Kenji," he said, darkly, "if you don't want to choose, I'm sending you to Hell, no questions asked, all expenses paid." Kenji looked up into his cold, piercing stare. "So, get ready, because you're going for eternal torment."

Kenji smirked. "That may be true, Ruhodesu," he commented, "but you'll have to slay me to do that!" He quickly stood up and ran at Raven, slashing his sword. Raven was surprised, and took the slice, his chest erupting with blood. He fell back into Crystal's arms, and Byakuya took this chance to attack.

His sword dispersed into the petal-like blades and rushed at Kenji, who smirked and pointed his sword forward. "Shriek, Utsuroshikyo!" he yelled, the large hollow appearing in front of him, blocking the attack.

Byakuya stood back in surprise, and so Kenji forced the hollow forward, it slashing at Byakuya's arm. Byakuya rolled out of the way in time, but was then hit by the hollow's cero, knocking him to the floor.

"Brother!" Rukia screamed, then taking hold of her sword and glaring at Kenji. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she yelled, spinning her sword, the blade bleaching white and a long ribbon flowing from the pommel. She rushed forward, then stopped on her heel when the hollow was close enough. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" she yelled, a large circle of ice appearing under the hollow. It screamed as the ice rose up, freezing it on the spot. Rukia smiled, swiping her sword and angling it at the hollow's torso.

With one slash, the hollow shattered into frozen pieces, clashing against the ground and leaving Kenji wide open for attack. "Oh what will I do?" Kenji asked, sarcastically. "My only line of defence is gone!"

He gestured, and the tiny pieces of 'hollow-cicle' floated up to reform, the hollow slowly piecing itself back together again. Kenji smiled even wider, raising his sword again. "Oscuropira!" he yelled, the blade erupting into black flames. He flash-stepped forward, being met in a sword clash by Crystal, who had appeared in front of Rukia to take the hit.

"Sorry Kenji, but you're not touching her," she said, smirking. She broke the deadlock and jumped back, releasing her sword. "Bankai, Shirohane Youshatenshi!" Her sword spilt into the twin axes, her white angelic wings sprouting from her back. Her blades shone brightly, blinding Kenji temporarily.

She flash-stepped forward, and in the blink of an eye appeared behind Kenji and slashed at his back. He fell forward onto his knees, but his hollow came to his rescue. It fired a cero at Crystal, so she had to dodge and move away.

However, because of that, her attention turned to the hollow in front of her, and she smirked. "Shiro Taiyou Kiyome!" she yelled, slashing her axes diagonally, forming a cross-shaped beam, which erupted on contact with the hollow. The hollow screamed horrendously, and started to dissolve into grains of light.

Crystal smiled triumphantly. "My power destroys those created by sorrow and anger, so your hollow is useless against me, Kenji!" Kenji, however, laughed in reply. "I truly am sorry Kyoraku, but your abilities are useless, for as long as I stand, my hollow stands!"

As if to solidify his statement, the small grains of light condensed back together, forming the whole hollow yet again, it roaring and then laughing darkly. Crystal was stunned, and retreated back to allow Renji a turn.

"Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru!" he yelled, his bankai forming, the large skeletal snake roaring in answer. "Attack, Zabimaru!" he roared, Hihio Zabimaru rushing forward, knocking the hollow back a few yards. The hollow quickly counterattacked, grabbing hold of Hihio Zabimaru's neck and slamming it down to the ground.

Renji smiled, however. "Higa Zekko!" he roared, the pieces of Hihio Zabimaru's body separating and hovering in midair. They sharpened and flew at the hollow, cutting into its flesh and ripping it to pieces.

Kenji yet again gestured for the hollow to reform, but was interrupted by Raven, slamming his scythe into Kenji's abdomen. He slowly took the scythe blade out and stood tall as Kenji fell to his knees.

"Gracia..." Kenji whispered, a white aura surrounding him and healing the wound. Raven looked at him and growled. He jumped back and released a kido blade, which Kenji dodged tactfully. He then fired one after another, hoping to hit him. Kenji dodged every one and appeared behind him, though, and slashed at his back, his blade erupting into flames as it did, which burned into Raven's flesh.

Raven screamed in pain and fell to the ground in a heap. Crystal was broken from her fixation with the hollow and rushed over to his side, before eyeing Kenji darkly. She flash-stepped up to meet him and again got caught in a deadlock with him. "You dare strike down Raven?" she asked, malice visible in her stare, "Then you will be struck down also, but the difference is that you won't get up!"

She broke the deadlock and crossed her axes. "Shiro Taiyou Kiyome!" she yelled, the beam forming from her blade slash. Kenji dodged and stabbed down with his sword, the blade erupting into black flames and charring Crystal's abdomen, sending her down to the ground next to Raven, where she passed out.

* * *

Matthew continued laughing as he stepped through the garganta and into the throne room, to be met by Kaede, Rei, Ryo and a happy Maya, who was hanging from a protruding rock from the ceiling.

Ryo stepped forward and knelt down, bowing. "I am sorry to announce, my lord, that Sakura Okui, 4th Knight of the Fearful Four, has fallen in battle," he said, solemnly. Matthew's face fell, but then he gained confidence and brought Ryo over to the side for a discussion.

"Still, we are going through with the plan, alright?" he whispered, Ryo nodding knowingly. "We shall strike as soon as he re-enters Hueco Mundo, if he ever does," Ryo reiterated.

"What're you boys talking about?" Rei asked, curious, walking up to them. Matthew swiftly dismissed the topic and smiled at her. "Oh, nothing Rei," he answered, smoothly, "Nothing at all."

"Well, if you're sure..." Rei answered, trailing off. She returned to her sister's side, and returned to the conversation she was having with her. Matthew sighed silently, then glanced at Ryo, who had turned away and was staring out of a window in the rock wall, into the black sky.

Maya dropped from her position and ran up to him, hugging around his legs when she reached him. "Yay, Mat came back too!" she yelled in joy. "Maya was wondering when everyone would get back, then Kay and Rei came, then Ryo came and Maya was worried that Mat or Saka or Ken wouldn't come back, but Mat did!" She then released her grip and looked up into his eyes.

"Where's Saka, Mat?" she asked, worry quite visible in her eyes. Matthew struggled with what to say. 'Damn, I always forget that she's just a kid at heart' he thought. 'I don't think she can take another loss...'

He sighed. "Sakura isn't coming back, Maya," he said, slowly, dreading her reaction. Maya looked into his eyes, not willing to believe what he had said. She finally turned and ran out of the door to the throne room, audible sobs heard through her footsteps.

"So, Sakura's dead?" Kaede asked, also visibly upset. Matthew nodded, and Kaede clamped her hand over her mouth. Rei patted her on her back. "Don't worry sis," she reassured her, "when we fight again, it'll be in memory of those who we have lost, and for our revenge."

Kaede turned to her and nodded, smiling. "Thanks Rei, you can always cheer me up," she replied, hugging her sister tight. Ryo was snapped out of his gaze suddenly and turned to everyone else, smirking.

"It feels like Master Ito is in trouble..." he said, amused. "Wouldn't it be _unfortunate_ if he didn't even come back?" Matthew, Kaede and Rei looked at him, slightly spooked by his last comment.

'As much as I hate to admit it,' Matthew thought to himself, 'Ryo may just be even stronger than I am, because he's definitely more confident and more psychotic than I am, hands down...'

* * *

Kiyomi and Terri stepped slowly into Squad 1 HQ, Hiroshi slumped in Kiyomi's arms. Terri was still crying, although most of the water on her face was more likely rain than her tears, which had long since dried up.

Kiyomi looked to Chojiro, who had entered through the back room after he heard the door, who understood completely, leaving to find a mattress for Hiroshi's body. In the meantime, Kiyomi walked over to her seat and lay Hiroshi down in it, his body limp against the arms.

She then walked over to the door through which Chojiro had just entered, leaving Terri alone with her best friends' lifeless form. She stepped over to him and took his hand in hers. She grasped it hard, then knelt down to his side.

"You can't be gone, Hiroshi, you just can't," she whispered, desperately. "I've known you ever since I started in the academy, you're my only friend. I don't even know if I'll be able to go on without you..."

She raised her head and brought it to the side of Hiroshi's. "But if you were fated to go now, then I have no say in it, do I?" she asked, to no-one in particular. "But, that arrancar... he said it was my fault. You were distracted because of me..."

She was broken from focus by a compassionate voice emanating from the doorway in the back. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault, Terri," Kiyomi said, reassuring her. "That arrancar is vile scum, and the mere fact he still walks today is an insult to this world. Anything he has said to you is a lie, and anything he has done is a disgrace, which includes what he did today. You are not to blame for this, it is that arrancar that should be blamed and destroyed."

Terri turned to her, a small spark in her eyes. "You... you really don't blame me?" she asked, welling up again. Kiyomi shook her head. "And I'm sure Hiroshi doesn't either," she replied. "I'm sure that Hiroshi was happy that when he died, he had you by his side. Don't let his final memory be associated with your sorrow, let it be associated with your care and friendship for each other." She stepped forward and gripped Terri's shoulder, giving her comfort.

"The reason why I chose both Hiroshi and you as my students was twofold: because you both had unnaturally high spiritual energy for soul reapers your age, and because you had something together; a chemistry, you could say, that helped you to overcome stronger opponents together. I witnessed this myself when you stood up to Kenji, and Hiroshi ran in to take a hit for you. Only someone with a pure soul could do such a thing for another, and that is what I saw in both of you."

Terri leaned forward and kissed Hiroshi lightly on his cheek. "Rest well Hiroshi," she whispered. "You deserve it, for standing up for me." She stood up and turned to Kiyomi, a look of confidence on her face.

"You're right, Head-Captain Seiryoku," she said, "and I will do all I can, for Hiroshi's sake." Kiyomi nodded, then smiled. "But first I think you need some rest, alright?" she asked. Terri took a glance at Hiroshi, then nodded back. "Yeah, thanks..." Kiyomi led her to her room, in Squad 1 HQ, and then closed the door.

Kiyomi sighed and leaned on Terri's room's door. "Such a loss..." she whispered. "I am amazed that she has enough strength to walk, as I'd have thought it would have been lost with hopelessness." She turned to the window, showing a clear view of the academy ruins, and she gasped.

"Not now... please not now..." she pleaded, leaving the building quickly and flash-stepping down to the ruins.

* * *

Renji dodged another slash from the hollow, Hihio Zabimaru tackling it to the ground in retaliation. The hollow stood up swiftly and slashed Hihio Zabimaru away, causing it to screech in disagreement. It fell back, Renji smirking. "Hikotsu Taiho!" he yelled, a large spiritual energy beam erupting from Hihio Zabimaru's jaw and hitting the hollow squarely in its chest, forcing it to the ground.

Rukia clashed swords with Kenji again, clearly overpowered. She strained against his force, until she broke the deadlock and retreated back to a safe distance. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" she yelled, slicing her sword upwards, a wave of ice radiating from it and heading towards Kenji.

Kenji smirked and raised his sword to block. "Oscuropira!" he yelled, the jet-black flames erupting and melting the ice, stopping Rukia's attack in its tracks. "Negrozanja!" he continued, his hand reaching out, a black claw of energy shooting out and clutching Rukia by her throat.

He picked her up and laughed darkly. "Poor Kuchiki, you work so hard to get to where you are, and when you finally get there, you realise you're not that strong, are you?" he taunted. "There's no brother to bail you out now, and Abarai is busy with my hollow, so what are you going to do?" he asked, his clutch tightening.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Kenji," a voice echoed, followed by hundreds of petal-like blades ripping through Kenji's arm, removing the surface flesh. He quickly dropped Rukia, who fell to the ground, coughing harshly.

Byakuya appeared in front of her, shielding her. "Are you alright?" he asked, glancing behind him. She looked up and nodded weakly, smiling. Byakuya turned back to Kenji and glared. "I'll show you what it means to mess with one of seireitei's finest soul reapers," he commanded, reforming his sword and turning it upside-down.

He dropped it and it melded into the ground, rippling as it did. "Bankai," he said, softly, two rows of swords rising on either side of him, "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The blades disintegrated into tiny petals which flew away on the breeze. He closed his eyes, and the blades flew at Kenji, surrounding him in their aura.

Kenji swiped desperately around him, but the petals seemed unharmed, then suddenly they closed in, ripping through his flesh from every angle, his blood staining the ground beneath him. They finally dispersed, surrounding Byakuya again, and Kenji fell to his knees once more.

"Reflexión," Kenji whispered, smirking. A silver aura surrounded both Byakuya and Kenji, noticeably doing Kenji better than Byakuya. Byakuya fell to his knees, coughing up blood, whilst Kenji stood up slowly, stretching out, healthy.

"A nice ability, right?" he taunted. "It reflects all the damage done to me to my opponent and negates all of my injuries, so I'm what I was before you attacked." Byakuya flinched as he tried to move, and Kenji laughed at this.

"Come off it, you don't think you can win, do you?" he taunted, kicking Byakuya in the gut, again knocking him to the ground. "You're now as weak as those two 'captains' over there." He motioned over to where Raven and Crystal lay, but now saw that only Crystal lay there.

He snapped into focus and looked around, awaiting an attack. "Didn't sense me, huh?" Raven's voice echoed. "That's an ability of mine I can access in shikai or bankai, known as completely hiding my spiritual pressure."

Kenji growled and slashed around everywhere, sending black flames streaking across the sky. He stopped for breath, when a kido blade shot out of nowhere, knocking him to the ground, angering him.

"Come out, Ruhodesu!" he yelled, irked. "Stop hiding!" Raven did as he wanted, appearing behind him and slashing into Kenji's back, making him stagger forward before turning to face him. Raven then raised his scythe, showing the kunai hidden in the staff. He span his scythe around his body and head, kunai firing from it and hovering in an array around him.

He then sliced around the same array, firing his kido blades. "Kurotsuki Shinkuuyaiba!" he yelled, the kido taking the kunai with it, firing them at high speed at Kenji, who barely dodged most of them, a line of three hitting him down his right leg. He yelled in pain, stopping and holding his leg. "What are these?!" he yelled, angered.

"Oh, just the keys to your deletion," Raven answered back. "You see, the feathers attached to them hold my spiritual energy, and when five are embedded in you, they make a spiritual energy focus-point, which deletes you from existence."

"Interesting," Kenji mused. "Maybe I'll swipe that ability for myself." He then turned to motion to his hollow, but saw it flying over to him, thrust by Hihio Zabimaru. It landed next to him, groaning in pain. Before he could help it up, a thorny whip wrapped itself around his arm, and he yelled in pain also.

Kiyomi walked up from behind him, glaring at him. "There has been too much damage here today, Kenji," she yelled, obviously not pleased. "Leave now, and no harm will come to you."

"Not likely, Kiyomi," Kenji replied, smirking. "I want revenge, and I will get it no matter what!" Kiyomi growled, angered. "That is exactly the same manner of belief that has led to such disgraceful crimes as what has befallen us today!" she exploded. "Leave now, or I will most certainly kill you."

Kenji didn't budge; he merely smirked and raised his sword to her. Kiyomi nodded over to Raven, who understood immediately. His eyes went white, and he raised both of his hands, a large gate rising from the ground slowly.

It was decorated with two skeletons, their arms each holding a respective door closed. The iron doors slowly creaked open upon Raven's command, and Kenji was utterly astonished. The pull of Hell started to act upon him, and he couldn't escape it. He inched towards them bit by bit, clawing onto the ground in desperation.

Kiyomi glared at him as he went, until the hollow moved of its own accord. She was surprised as it rose up and ran at the gates, punching them directly on the top arch of the frame. Raven shook slightly, the pain flowing through him from the hit. He collapsed, and the gates started to waver, the hollow waiting for an opening.

When the gates wobbled slightly, the hollow pounded onto them, Kenji watching in amazement. The hollow tore through the tough iron, reducing the gates to rubble. Kiyomi was horrified. "But with the frame and doors gone..." she started.

"...Everything is released..." Raven finished for her, struggling to get up. The light emanating from the prior gates was now free, and was circling above the hollow, who looked like it was waiting for it.

The light slowly descended, the hollow absorbing it and its aura shining bright. Kenji smiled, surprised, as the pull of Hell released him. He stepped towards his hollow and looked up to it in amazement. He suddenly felt a pulse of energy flow through him, and he fell to his knees, elated.

"This power..." he whispered, a wide smile on his face. He looked up at his hollow, who looked back, smile on its mask. "You did this to get us stronger?" he asked it. "You're much smarter than I give you credit for, thank you."

He then turned to Kiyomi, who was still in shock. "Actually, Kiyomi," he said, his voice noticeably distorted and deeper. "I think I will leave now. I'm done here, you can have this place for a while... I'd say about 2 months."

He opened a garganta, laughing. "I'm giving you 2 months, because I'm generous," he said, his hollow stepping through first. "Then I'm coming back, and we will destroy both you and your Soul Society!" He laughed darkly as he stepped through the garganta, it disappearing behind him.

Kiyomi stood, wide-eyed. "This is not what I expected..." she muttered. "This is not good at all..."

* * *

_And it seems that Kenji has slipped through the Gotei 13's fingers once more, only now he's more powerful than ever. But with captains injured and the seireitei's confidence in pieces, will they be able to fight back?_

_**Next chapter:** We'll have to wait and see, however, as next chapter Kenji returns to Hueco Mundo, triumphant, only to be welcomed by Matthew and Ryo in the most hostile of greetings. Check it out, next week, in 'Keep Your Enemies Closer'._


	22. Keep Your Enemies Closer

**Chapter 21 – Keep Your Enemies Closer**

Kenji stepped through the garganta, his hollow following behind him, both quietly pleased with themselves. He stepped forward onto the floor of his throne room, and smirked to everyone as he entered.

Matthew growled as he saw Kenji's expression, but held himself back, nodding silently to Ryo. Kenji walked forward, up to his throne, and sat down, his hollow taking his position at his right side, looming over the room.

"So what happened, Kenji?" Kaede asked, tentatively. Kenji chuckled coldly, using a deeper voice, and stared at her. "Kaede, my dear, I have achieved full potential, and my limits have been broken," he said, his eyes piercing into hers, making her shiver uncontrollably.

"What do you mean 'full potential', Kenji?" Matthew asked, getting angered. He tried to calm himself, but his anxiety was showing. Kenji noticed this. "You should calm down, Matthew," he said, menacingly, "You may hurt someone if you're at this level of tension all the time."

Matthew stood back slightly, Ryo stepping forward in his stead. "Master Ito, if I may," he said, coolly, "What do you mean by 'broken limits'? I felt that your spiritual pressure was much stronger when you entered, but that was only slightly stronger than your usual power."

"I mean, Ryo," Kenji started, confidently, "that my hollow here finally did something right, giving me more power than I could ask for!" Kaede and Rei's eyes widened, whilst Ryo smirked evilly. Matthew started to sweat in anticipation.

"Where is Maya, may I ask?" Kenji asked, sincerity in his voice. "I want her to bask in the glory of my victory with us all." Matthew flinched at the mention of Maya's name, remembering her emotional outburst earlier.

He shook this off and stepped towards the double doors, walking out to the sand dunes of Hueco Mundo. Ryo noticed this, bowing to Kenji before following Matthew outside. Kaede and Rei looked on, musing over their sudden exits, whilst Kenji glared at them as they left.

* * *

"Lord Matthew, what's wrong?" Ryo asked, catching up to him. Matthew turned to face him, a dark smirk on his face. "I couldn't bear being in the same room as him – his energy seems to enrage me even if I am within a mile of him," Matthew answered, distaste for Kenji showing through.

"Now, however, we will stage our rebellion, take his leadership of this force and rule Soul Society ourselves!" He started to laugh darkly, but was interrupted as he heard a crying from the roof of the castle-like structure, on what used to be a stone obelisk.

Maya sat there, in tears. "Maya misses Saka..." she mumbled through sniffs. "Saka was like a sister to Maya, and now Saka's gone..." She wiped her eyes. "Maya hopes that Mat or Ryo don't go too..."

Matthew broke his gaze from her, glaring at the doors to the castle. "That Kenji will get what he deserves, with him forcing us all into battle, not even caring if we come back alive or not." Ryo nodded in agreement, standing by his side.

"Yes, my lord, we do this for our fallen allies, and for the benefit of our futures," Ryo answered. "For your noble deeds towards our cause Kotomi, Eiji and Sakura..." flinching slightly when he said 'Sakura'. "You shall be avenged here and now."

* * *

Kenji sat, staring at the double doors, awaiting Matthew and Ryo's return. He turned to Kaede and Rei slightly. "You two," he said, darkly. They both looked up, surprised at his sudden acknowledgement of them.

"Matthew and Ryo will come back in and attack me, wanting my throne and rule. A rebellion, of sorts, you could say. I've known about Matthew's lack of respect for higher-ups for a long time now, as that's exactly why he was relinquished of his position by his former employer, Usaitar," he said, explaining it to them in a hushed voice. "I've been waiting for him to attack me in an attempt to overthrow me, but I've noticed his more suspicious behaviour recently." He then turned to them and looked them directly in the eyes, his eyes being more or less pupil-less black pools. "If you want to avoid this conflict, or even side with them, I will understand fully, but please keep in mind that I may not be lenient with your corpses."

Rei became nervous, grasping Kaede tighter, whereas Kaede herself looked down, unable to keep her eyes and Kenji's facing each other. Kenji turned back to the doors as they opened with a slam against the walls, Matthew and Ryo walking in, standing tall.

Kenji applauded them sarcastically. "Not a bad entrance, you two," he taunted. "But you will ultimately fail in defeating me, just like you failed at surviving through Usaitar's demise properly, or like you failed at ridding the universe of those academy brats."

Matthew smirked. "So, you did know about our plan, huh?" he mused. "I thought as much. I may discredit you, Kenji, but you are extremely sharp, and skilled. But that won't change the fact that Ryo and I will start taking control of things around here."

"Be my guest, Matthew," Kenji gestured to his throne. "See if you can land a clean blow on me. See if you can destroy the most powerful being in the universe."

Matthew became angered and rushed forward, sword slicing down. Kenji merely raised his arm to block, doing so with little effort. He took his other hand and placed it on Matthew's chest, pushing him back into the doors at the other end of the room, Matthew being winded in the process.

Ryo looked back to Matthew, then glared at Kenji, drawing his own sword. He ran forward also, slashing at Kenji, who again blocked with his arm. However, Ryo's blade started to sink into Kenji's flesh, and he pushed Ryo away before it could do any more harm. Ryo came to a halt next to Matthew, who was dusting himself off, and Ryo smirked as Kenji looked on.

'How can the 1st Knight be stronger than the leader?' Kenji thought to himself. 'Well, no matter, I shall kill them both easily.' He drew and raised his sword, pointing it at his two opponents. "Die, fools!" he yelled, swiftly flash-stepping behind them, before either of them had any time to notice. He stabbed forward, hoping to skewer Matthew through, but he had missed, Matthew using sonido moments before. He was now above Kenji, sword pointing down.

"Tear my enemies to shreds, Rey del Reptils!" he yelled, the sword binding around his arm, his form becoming more reptilian with wings, claws, tail and silver scales. Finally, his serpent raced out of his arm, down to Kenji, trying to swallow him whole.

Kenji saw this and disappeared, blurring into view in front of his throne. "Enough! Both of you will fall before my power!" he commanded. "Matanza!" he smiled evilly, his sword disappearing into grains of light. Suddenly, hundreds of swords appeared behind him, forming a wall, all pointing at Matthew and Ryo.

Kenji gestured, and a sword flew at Matthew, who dodged, running up to slash him through the abdomen, but was caught off-guard as another sword flew forward, aiming for his chest. He spiralled out of the way, but the sword followed him, wanting his blood. He gestured before dodging again, and his serpent launched its fangs at Kenji.

Kenji however, just stood still as it came to attack. Suddenly, a large shadowed hand came out and grabbed the serpent's neck, choking it. Kenji's hollow had blocked for him, and was now crushing the serpent's throat in its hands.

Ryo snarled and rushed forward, raising his sword in anticipation. "Eradicate, Sentencia de l'Anubis!" he spoke softly, his blade curving into a scimitar, his bandages becoming more snake-like and his uniform darkening to its black colour. He slashed down at Kenji, who answered with three swords from his wall, which were expertly blocked by Ryo's bandages.

He backed off, ready for another swarm of swords, glaring all the time at Kenji. Matthew, meanwhile, had fended off the sword and was now glaring at Kenji also. He used sonido to get up close, slicing at Kenji's back, but Kenji merely stepped forward, dodging it. He then gestured, and a rain of swords came down on Matthew, who let off a scream of pain as they pierced his flesh.

Kenji then turned his attention to Ryo again, sending another wave of swords at him. Ryo smirked and used sonido to escape them, appearing in front of Kenji, slashing at his chest. Kenji backed off, but his arms were quickly grabbed by Ryo's bandages, and he was pulled forward again, into the oncoming slash from Ryo's scimitar. Kenji growled, using his flash-step to escape, leaving Ryo slicing at air.

Kenji reappeared at the doors of the throne room, smirking, his swords forming behind him again. He, however, deactivated his power as his normal sword reformed in his hands. He looked over at the crater where Matthew had been hit.

"Matthew, you can come out now, I know that I didn't kill you," he ordered, irked at Matthew's hiding. Matthew's laugh could be heard echoing throughout the castle, before he stepped forward from the shadows behind Kaede and Rei, who were now huddled at the side of the room. They jumped slightly as Matthew passed them, chuckling to himself. Kaede looked at him, pleading him with her eyes to stop.

Matthew smirked at Kenji and stood tall at his end of the room. "How did you know I was hiding, Kenji?" he asked, intrigued. "Not many people can sense my spiritual pressure, since I can camouflage it to the surrounding spiritual energies."

"I know you too well, it seems, Matthew," Kenji smirked back. His face then fell. "It is quite unfortunate that I have to slay you now." Matthew laughed the instant he heard this. "Well, you seem to be pretty confident, and you have barely scratched me, up to now."

He raised his palm, and smirked wider. "Tosigo Uno – Parálisis," he said, his wrist opening up, a barb shooting out from it. It flew through the air, heading for Kenji, but he merely raised his sword.

"Oscuropira..." he muttered, his sword erupting into black flames, burning the barb to cinders. Matthew took his chance and used sonido to get behind Kenji again, raising his fingers towards Kenji's skull.

"Tosigo Cinco – Ejecución!" he yelled, his fingernails rapidly growing, shooting at Kenji's head. Kenji merely chuckled and disappeared, Matthew's attack missing its target. When Kenji reappeared behind Matthew, he slashed at him, cutting into his back, Kenji's blade erupting into black flames.

Matthew screamed in pain as he fell forward, the large gash on his back pulsing with blood. He slowly got up, but as he reached to rip off his dead skin, he growled as flames sprouted all over his body, burning into his skin.

Kenji laughed as Matthew tried to fan out the flames. "I know how to kill you, you know," he said, menacingly. "You have a skin shield usually, right? Well, this time your skin shield has been burned off – as have all subsequent skins of yours. The only way you can heal yourself now is with healing spells, which I don't think you know."

Matthew glared as he looked up to Kenji, who was standing over him with a wide smile on his face. 'Bastard,' he thought. 'How did he come up with such a clever ruse? How did he know my weakness? Maybe Kenji truly is above his limits...'

Ryo growled and rushed forward, ready to strike Kenji down. He slashed down and Kenji backed off quickly, leaving Matthew room to stand up again. Matthew took his stance next to Ryo, stretching his claws. He nodded to Ryo, who nodded back, and he rushed forward, ready to strike Kenji.

He slashed, but missed, Kenji kicking him back. Ryo went on though, slicing into Kenji's arm, who jumped back yet again. Kenji was surprised. 'How could this low-life cut me so many times?' he asked himself. 'He isn't supposed to be stronger than Matthew, but he appears to be so. This makes no sense...'

His train of thought was broken, however, as Matthew's voice echoed from behind him. "Toisgo Nueve – Espada!" he yelled, slashing both swords at Kenji's back, who blocked with his own sword, struggling under the pressure. He was put under more pressure as Ryo attacked with a sword slash also, Kenji moving his blade slightly to block that too.

"Terminaras!" he yelled, feeling threatened. His blade gathered dark energy, and as he swiped it down, the large wave of negative energy was released, blasting Ryo and Matthew into the opposite wall. They both hit the wall with force, dropping to the floor in pain.

Matthew stood up first, roaring with adrenaline. He smirked wide as he raised his hands. "Tosigo Diez..." he started, before a hard slash caught his back. He fell to his knees, seeing Ryo stand up behind him, his scimitar covered with Matthew's blood.

"What...? Ryo...? Why...?" he managed to ask. Ryo merely looked at him with pity. "My lord, I apologise, but the highest possible chance of my survival is like this. That is the way you have always told us to live, my lord."

"You see, Kenji is much stronger than either of us, and both of us put together," he explained. "And Sakura died whilst under your command, my lord, as did Eiji and Kotomi. I do not want to follow in their footsteps, so I shall do what I can to stop that from happening, and if siding with Master Ito over you is what I need to do, I shall do so."

Matthew strained as he tried to stand up, holding the wounds on his back tightly. Ryo walked slowly up to Kenji, bowing before him. "I apologise for attacking you, Master Ito, but I had to make it look convincing."

Kenji smirked, then gradually started to laugh. "I can't believe this!" he chuckled. "I've been toying with both of you, when really one was toying with me all along!" Ryo bowed to the struggling Matthew, apparently in apology, then walked over to the side of the room, where he sat on a stone bench.

* * *

Maya was broken from her weeping by the continuous noise that was coming from the castle's throne room. She wiped her eyes, stood up and jumped down to the sands below. She sneaked up to a window to see what the commotion was about, and gasped as she saw Matthew in battle with Kenji, and Matthew's serpent in a fight with Kenji's hollow.

She started to walk towards the front doors, but stopped. 'Wait...' she thought. 'Maya wants to help Mat, but if Maya helps Mat, Maya will be killed by Ken, no questions asked. But if Maya doesn't help, Mat will die.'

She stepped towards the window again and peered through. 'Come on Mat, win so Maya doesn't need to cry again. Mat can do anything.'

* * *

Matthew dodged another sword slash from Kenji, who was now obviously toying with him. Matthew knew he had taken too much damage to be dodging real attacks from Kenji, so he had to be toying with him, and it was angering him to no end.

"Screw this!" he yelled, stopping. He raised his hands. "Tosigo Diez – Milas!" he yelled, barbs appearing from all over his body. He smiled as they erupted from their slots, firing at Kenji and skewering through his body. Blood dripped down onto the stone floor, and Kenji looked at the wounds formed.

"Wow, impressive," he taunted. "You made more than a scratch on me. You made a few dents. They'll close eventually, especially with a little 'Gracia' later." Matthew growled, but kept his composure.

He raised his claws, ready to strike, and rushed forward. Kenji blocked with little effort, pushing him back. He then laughed darkly. "Come one, you don't believe you can do anything, do you? Your only supporter just defected to my side, and your little squad of arrancars couldn't cut it in battle, so you're all alone now."

Matthew growled at that comment. "Maya still believes in me! At least that's something." Kenji chuckled coldly in response. "Of course, the childish mod soul, using you as a replacement for the father she never had. Personally, I could think of better father figures, but whatever makes her happy, I guess."

"Still, even she cannot aid you in this, your time of need. Your skin shields are gone, you are injured, and I know every Tosigo you can throw at me. Face it, you've lost." Matthew snarled, then started to laugh wildly. Kenji's face fell. "What's so funny, arrancar?" he asked, obviously not amused.

"What's funny is, you haven't seen every Tosigo I can throw at you," he sneered. "Tosigo Ocho – Almaliar!" He used sonido, appearing behind Kenji, then opened his jaws wide, his fangs becoming more prominent. He then clamped down onto Kenji's neck, drawing blood quickly.

Kenji pushed him away, rubbing at the wound on his neck. He then looked at Matthew, who was smirking wide. "What are you smiling at? That was a weak attack!" Kenji taunted, but Matthew kept on smiling.

"Who cares if you kill me now?" he said. "I'll come back eventually. And even if I don't, now that I used Tosigo Ocho, I'll always be in the back of your mind, and you'll never be able to stop believing that I'll be coming for you."

"Whatever, snake," Kenji said, flatly, raising his sword. "Matanza!" he yelled, his sword disappearing, and the wall of swords appearing behind him. He smirked as Matthew stepped back, tentatively. "Now, feel the sting of your superiors!" Kenji roared, gesturing with his hands.

"Matanza Concluir!" he yelled, the swords floating up into an array around Matthew. He cursed under his breath, seeing no possible blind spots for the array. "Now die, snake!" Kenji laughed, as the swords rushed down, impaling themselves into Matthew's body, which fell limp extremely quickly.

Kenji stepped forward, checking upon his fallen adversary. He stood next to him, looking over him in triumph, but was taken by surprise as Matthew's clawed hand grabbed out at his haori.

Kenji quickly took a sword from the air and sliced down, cutting Matthew's arm clean off. Blood erupted from the wound, and Matthew's final breath could be heard before his body fell, only held up by the swords impaled into the ground.

* * *

Maya rushed into the throne room, via the double doors, visibly distressed. "Mat! Mat!" she yelled, crying. "Mat can't die!" she yelled, tears running down her face. "Come on Mat! Wake up!"

When no answer came, she turned to Kenji and ran up to him, pounding onto his legs as she fell to her knees in despair. "Why did Ken do this to Mat?" she yelled, still in tears. "With Mat, Ken would've had all the power he needed!"

"Maya, shut your mouth, if you know what's good for you," Kenji threatened, making Maya's tears stop immediately. "Matthew had to take a leave of absence because of his disloyalty to all of us. This is our time for revenge, and he went against that time. You also want revenge, right?"

Maya stared blankly at Kenji, nodding unknowingly. "Well then," Kenji continued, "Matthew was also against you getting your revenge. He didn't want us to go about it this way. He wanted to force everyone but himself to attack the Soul Society head on. But I knew that such foolish tactics would get us all killed, so I had to teach him that the hard way."

Kaede glared at Kenji after this, Rei also looking at Kenji with an odd expression. 'That isn't how it went down at all, Kenji, and you know it,' Rei thought to herself, Kaede listening in and agreeing. 'Yeah, he just turned this whole situation around to try and get Maya on his good side, the low-life bastard. Maya's too pure to be warped like this – we can't allow it.'

Maya nodded as Kenji finished, then took one look at Matthew's skewered corpse. 'Maya knows that Mat would never do something like that. Maya knows that Ken is lying. Maya will do something about it, even if it kills Maya,' she thought, confidently.

Kenji sat down on his throne, looking over his remaining followers. "Now, the Soul Society has 2 months to get ready for my invasion, so I advise that you get ready!" As he finished this speech, his hollow finally snapped Matthew's serpent's neck, the snake falling lifeless to the floor. Kenji started to laugh coldly, his followers glaring up at him.

* * *

_And so it seems that the 'immortal' Matthew has been slain. Or has he really? We'll see soon enough. Also, I guess you could definitely call this 'Season 2' now, giving you an idea of how long this'll be. And a thanks to all the viewers, as I usually get a big burst of hits on this fic every week around about the weekend. That makes me feel slightly more important than usual. Anyway, moving on._

_**Next chapter:** Even though Kenji 'knows' he'll win, he still wants some more numbers to his army, and sends his troops out to find some. Meanwhile, a plan starts to formulate in Kiyomi's head, and she needs the help of four captains to do so. Find out who joins Kenji's army of darkness in the next chapter - 'Recruitment Drive'._


	23. Recruitment Drive

**Chapter 22 – Recruitment Drive**

It was the morning after, and Maya woke up in a split-second, remembering what had happened last night. Kenji had killed Matthew, the only 'family' she had ever knew. She jumped down from the mattress that Kenji had set up for her in one of the adjoining rooms to the throne room, then opened the wooden door slowly.

She looked around, checking that the coast was clear, then ran into the throne room, jumped down from the upper level and down to the lower floor, where Matthew's corpse still lay, still impaled by Kenji's 'Matanza' ability. His severed arm lay on the ground next to him, still twitching occasionally.

"Mat..." she whispered. "Mat, wake up. Maya knows that Mat's pretending." She nudged him slightly, and Matthew couldn't keep his act up, opening his eyes, albeit through extreme pain.

"Maya, you shouldn't be down here talking to me," he whispered. "If Kenji knew, you'd be killed on the spot." Maya looked down, in guilt. "Maya's sorry Mat, but Maya just wants to hear it from Mat that Mat will be alright."

Matthew's face softened as she answered, then went to reply her, but was interrupted by a cold, dark voice coming from the doorway above the throne at the back of the room. "Well, Maya, what are we doing today?" Kenji asked, sarcastically. "You're not speaking with Matthew, are you? Matthew is now officially a prisoner, and should be treated as one."

"Lay off her, Kenji," Matthew said, weakly. "She isn't doing anything wrong." Kenji smirked at this, then walked up to them, seemingly at the speed of light. He turned to Maya, smiling faux-sympathetically. "Run along Maya, Matthew and I just need to discuss something."

Maya looked at him, and his eyes swiftly lost their warm nature, becoming dark and cold. Maya eyes welled up, frightened for her life, and she ran back to her room, starting to cry.

Kenji kneeled down to be face to face with Matthew, then smirked. "I expected you to 'rebirth' again, so I left the swords in. How do you like them?" he asked. Matthew growled in reply, so Kenji shrugged and continued. "Well Matthew, you are now invited to a secret gathering, called 'The Destruction Of Matthew, Arrancar Of The Ages'. It's quite a show actually, since I shall be the first being in history to take you out of the picture, permanently."

The word 'permanently' was too emphasised for Matthew to dismiss it. His eyes went wide in surprise. "You can't kill me, Kenji!" he replied. "This immortality power of mine is as much a hindrance to me as it is to you!"

Kenji chuckled. "Then you won't mind if I go through with this, will you?" he smirked, his hand raising, holding his sword. "Shriek, Utsuroshikyo!" he yelled, the hollow appearing out of the darkness of the room, looming over Matthew, smiling grotesquely.

"Now, take him out of commission, permanently," Kenji ordered, the hollow moving forward slowly. As it reached Matthew's form, it reached down, stretching to grab his skewered form. Matthew's eyes became wide with shock as it grasped around him, squeezing the life out of him. He could feel his mind slowly go blank, the hollow's power obviously working well.

His eyes became heavy, and his head started to fall back on itself, having no more strength to keep either working. He did, however, have enough strength to utter his last words before being completely comatose. He turned weakly to Kenji, attempting to glare at him. "Absorbing my power...?" he asked. "You're a fool.... you know...?"

Kenji merely ignored him as his hollow threw Matthew to the ground, cracking some of his bones in the process, and clenched his fists. "This power flowing through me... is all from Matthew?" he asked himself. "Then if this is the case... I'll rule Soul Society quicker than the captains can all release their bankais!"

He started to laugh darkly, and his voice echoed through the now-empty corridors of his castle of stone.

* * *

Kiyomi flinched as Retsu bandaged her up, her wounds minor wounds still stinging slightly. Though, her own troubles were not her first worries, as most of her Gotei 13 had been injured in some way during the last battle, and their chances of being victorious in 2 months was starting to look bleak.

"Retsu..." Kiyomi started, in thought. Retsu perked up as she heard her name, and smiled at her in expectation for her question. "How are the others, Retsu? Please give me some good news..."

"Well, Captain Seiryoku, Kenpachi is healing quite quickly, but that is to be expected," Retsu started. "Then there's Raven, who is only feeling slight weakness as his bond to the gates has been shattered. Crystal is feeling fine, even though she took quite a beating. Sajin is doing fine too."

Kiyomi sighed. "What about Toshiro or Byakuya, or the others who were in battle?" Retsu sighed in reply. "Well, Toshiro was badly beaten during the chaos, as was Rangiku, but both are steadily getting better. Soifon, along with Zeo and Naomi, were almost gone when Isane and I found and treated them, and thankful to say, they will make a full recovery, if a bit slow."

Kiyomi groaned. "Well, I guess it could have gone much worse," she muttered. "And I guess it is good news that Mayuri and Jushiro are definitely able-bodied, at the least." Retsu finished bandaging Kiyomi's arm up, so she took this chance to stand up and walk out of the room.

"Um, Captain Seiryoku, I think it is wise that you refrain from strenuous activity for a while, otherwise you'll reopen those wounds," Retsu interrupted her. "They may be minor, but if they open up, they could get infected or cause too much blood loss."

"I'll be fine, Retsu, but thanks for your concern," Kiyomi replied, thankful. "I just need to go around and talk to some of the captains in private, I won't be long." She took her haori, slipping it quickly on, then stepped out of the door, shutting it slowly on her way out.

* * *

Kenji had ordered a meeting, and so Kaede, Rei, Ryo and Maya were stood facing Kenji, who sat on his throne, smirking darkly. Maya often glanced back at Matthew's comatose state, unnerved that Kenji did such a thing.

"People," Kenji started to speak, "we need more recruits. We may have an unparalleled power advantage, but the numbers could overcome us eventually, despite the fact that I am leading our side."

Rei's eyes fell slightly. 'Yeah, modest isn't he?' she thought, Kaede listening in. 'I agree, sister, but please keep your dislike for him locked up, or he may turn on us next,' she replied, slightly anxious.

Ryo smirked as Kenji finished, then stepped forward. "Master Ito, I do believe that I know a fair few arrancar who would want revenge on Soul Society," he said, calmly. Kenji's eyebrows raised, wanting Ryo to continue.

"Well, there are many arrancar and hollow clan leaders around Hueco Mundo, some of which are incredibly powerful. If we go to them, extending our arms in friendship, then maybe they shall lend us strength from both their forces and themselves, so that our victory would truly be set in stone."

Kenji was surprised – happily surprised. "Ryo, that is a brilliant idea!" he laughed. "That's that. All four of you will go out to Hueco Mundo and rally together the troops – now move it!"

Maya stood to attention straight away, then walked towards the front doors, to leave without any hassle. Rei glared slightly at Kenji, then followed Maya to the doors, Kaede running after her. Ryo stayed behind, wanting to talk to Kenji. When the doors shut behind Kaede, Ryo glared up at Kenji.

"Kenji..." Ryo snarled. Kenji laughed darkly as he said this, Ryo's attitude humouring him. "Kenji, you said that if I betrayed my lord and master, you would use your power of resurrection to bring back Eiji, Kotomi and Sakura. I did so, and I've been trying to aid you as much as possible, yet you have not resurrected them yet, nor have you shown any shard of evidence that you have such an ability."

Kenji looked down on him, his face contorted into a dry smile. "Well, Ryo, if you do this for me, then maybe I'll do what you want," he said, almost taunting him. "Find these 'arrancar leaders' of yours, and then maybe we'll have a deal later on."

Ryo glared at him, before finally admitting defeat, turning to walk out of the doors into the wastelands of Hueco Mundo. Kenji smirked once again, enjoying his power over Ryo. "Little do you know, Ryo, is that I do actually have a resurrecting ability – but I'm not going to use it to resurrect your arrancar friends," he said to himself. "They were wastes of both Matthew's time and mine, as shown by the fact that they all died. The reason why you would want them back is unknown to me, but you'd have to be pretty foolish to think like that."

As he bragged to himself, he thought he heard a faint blast of air behind him, like a sonido being used. He turned around quickly to check for enemies, but saw nothing. He then looked back down to Matthew's comatose body, remembering something he had said before being slain.

'Who cares if you kill me now? I'll come back eventually. And even if I don't, now that I used Tosigo Ocho, I'll always be in the back of your mind, and you'll never be able to stop believing that I'll be coming for you...' Kenji reiterated in his head. 'Every time I hear that over and over, I can't help thinking...'

"I'll need to get rid of his body..." Kenji whispered. "It's starting to freak me out."

* * *

Four captains were gathered in a hospital room – Toshiro's hospital room, to be exact, as he had no clearance for leave. Kiyomi stepped through the door, alerting the captains to her presence.

Kiyomi cleared her throat. "I have gathered you four captains, in particular, because I have something to ask of you," she started, but was interrupted by Kenpachi, who sat on the windowsill looking out to the seireitei below.

"What type of thing d'you want?" he asked, bored. "I really don't have time for this if it's a trivial thing." Toshiro hushed him quite quickly, speaking down to him. "Be quiet, Zaraki," he snapped. "If Head-Captain Seiryoku wants to ask us a favour, then we should do it without a second thought."

Byakuya was sat on a seat in the near corner, still fairly bandaged up, but looking quite healthy. "I think that we should stop arguing between ourselves before we have to undertake anything of high importance," he spoke, slowly. He then opened his eyes, looking directly at Toshiro. "Don't you think, Captain Hitsugaya?"

"Stop with the interruptions already," Raven said flatly, turning to Kiyomi. "You were saying, captain?" Kiyomi sighed, then looked straight at them. "As you know, our fighting force is at an unfortunate low at the moment. In two months, Kenji and his band of psychopaths will return, and I do not think that we will all be fully healed by then, even with Retsu's outstanding skills. This is why I suggest that you four work together to train a certain soul reaper for me."

"Train a certain soul reaper?" Toshiro echoed. "Whoever could you mean?" Kenpachi merely chuckled. "If you think I'm gonna waste my time training a little whimp, then you can think again."

"Training a small child, captain? Please..." Raven added, almost sounding as if he was insulted. Byakuya, however, nodded in response to Kiyomi's idea. "I agree completely Head-Captain Seiryoku," he spoke. "From all that I've witnessed from Ms. Terri Zakura, I can honestly say that she is perfectly ready for proper Gotei 13 training."

"The Zakura kid, eh?" Kenpachi mused. "Actually, this could be interesting..." Toshiro also seemed interested. "A child prodigy... such a thing only comes around once every couple of centuries..."

Kiyomi nodded. "I am glad that you all agree to help her," she answered. She then turned to Raven, who was still thinking it over, looking out of a window to the horizon. He then turned back to her, then nodded.

"Truthfully, I cannot stand Zakura, nor his daughter, but if I have to train her for the good of Soul Society, I shall do so," he replied, bowing. Kiyomi sighed in relief. "Thank you, all four of you, you have truly helped Soul Society tremendously."

"But this Zakura kid can't be _that_ good, can she?" Kenpachi asked, unbelieving. Kiyomi smirked as she left. "Oh, I think you will be thoroughly surprised, Kenpachi, and the rest of you." She left the room on that note, all four captains looking at each other in speculation.

* * *

Kaede and Rei has flash-stepped to a large sand-pit in the barren wastes of Hueco Mundo, looking for their next ally. Ryo had told them that an arrancar by the name of Kiseki Kiryu, who resided in the Trench Dunes of Hueco Mundo.

"This must be the place..." Kaede whispered, in awe at the funnels of sand falling in on themselves. Rei stepped up behind her. "Yeah, this looks like what Ryo described..." she looked down at the closest pit. "Kiryu must be here somewhere..."

They started to walk off to the middle of the pits, when a low rumbling was heard. They looked back to the closest pit, in which sand was pushing itself upwards, the opposite direction to the rest. As the sand flew up, a form started to emerge. He stood around 7 foot tall, the normal arrancar clothing covering him, except for the tattered look of it, and the pure-white sash around his torso, holding his large cleaver-like blade onto his back.

He stepped forward out of the pit, and Kaede and Rei could get a good look at him. His face was young, yet slightly scarred. His black hair was greased back, and the crown-like mask remnants were tangled in it. His dark, blank eyes were narrowed at the two, as a scowl crept over his face.

"Who are you two?" he snarled, his voice calm and rasping, "Soul reapers? If you are, you should know that you're not welcome here." Kaede quickly pleaded against this, and Rei answered for her.

"No, Kiseki Kiryu," she answered, commanding. "We are visoreds under the rule of Kenji Ito, and we are here to extend our hands in welcoming you to our little group." Kiryu smiled slightly in response to Kenji's name, and welcomed them into his sand-pit.

* * *

Maya landed on the soft sand, cushioning her landing. She looked around, seeing only flat plains of sand in every direction. She sat down on the sand and thought to herself, clearly puzzled. "Maya remembers Ryo saying that an arrancar-person would be around here..." she trailed off. "Well, sort of around here..."

She looked around again, thinking harder. "Ryo said something about a 'Genma Fujima' or someone else..." She stood up and dusted herself off. "Maya wonders where Gen is... if Mat were here, Mat'd help Maya find Gen..."

She was interrupted by a voice behind her, which made her jump slightly. She turned around quickly, seeing an arrancar standing before her. He was about 6 foot tall, wearing normal arrancar wear along with a large fur coat over it – which Maya did not want to know what it was made from.

He looked old – about 50 or so – but his hollow mask covered the left half of his face and most of the back of his skull, not showing his age much. He had long, grey hair flowing from his head, also poking through cracks in his hollow mask. He looked down at Maya with a mixture of bemusement and curiosity.

"What are you doing here looking for me, girl?" he asked, flatly and bluntly. Maya stepped back slightly in fright, but then stepped forward after regaining her confidence. "Maya is Maya, Mr. Gen!" she yelled, smiling.

Genma obviously didn't know what she was talking about, so let her continue. "Maya is a mod soul, under command from Ken – Kenji Ito," she had to correct herself to say Kenji's full name – something which she wasn't used to doing.

"Ken wants Maya to come and see if Gen wants to help us all fight Soul Society together," she continued. "So what does Gen say?"

Genma stood, thinking for a while, then looked at her again. "I shall think about the possibility, but I need to see Kenji myself beforehand. Take me to him, girl."

Maya pouted. "Maya's name is Maya, not girl! Gen should be nicer to Gen's superior!" she turned and gestured for him to follow, which he did, albeit with a puzzled expression on his face.

* * *

Ryo finally landed next to an old cave-like structure, the wind now blustering wildly. The sand surrounding him was dancing in the wind, and he himself was starting to feel its strength, so he stepped inside the cave.

It was pitch-black inside, so he had no choice. "Hey, Yukari, turn on the damn lights, will you?" he yelled, the cave suddenly lighting up silently. Ryo's eyes strained under this new light, and he struggled to see the female form walking up to him slowly.

"Ryo?" she asked. "What are you doing here?" Ryo could now finally focus on her by following her voice. "Things not work out with that Sakura girl?" she asked, jokingly. Ryo snarled at the mention of Sakura's name, but held in his anger.

He could now finally see Yukari for her full beauty – a slim, slender, tall woman, looking in her early 20s. Her long brown hair was as sleek as he remembered it and her deep green eyes were bedazzling to him. Her arrancar uniform was the norm, except with the top slightly unbuttoned to reveal part of her cleavage, and her hollow mask was a small jawbone around her left eye – more for decoration than any mask remnant he had seen.

"Yukari, I need your help," Ryo said, quickly. "Well, really, _we_ need your help, but I'm expecting that you'll trust us more if I say that I'm the one who needs you." Yukari looked at him strangely, then turned on her heel and stepped deeper into the cave.

"No way, Ryo," she answered. "If it's anything to do with that Matthew guy, then you can just forget about it. His mere presence scares the hell out of me." Ryo shook his head and followed her down, grabbing onto her arm.

"Yukari, listen," he replied, trying to persuade her. "It isn't anything to do with Matthew. Matthew actually was killed by my new lord and master – Kenji Ito, maybe you've heard of him?"

Yukari perked up at this – both the mention of Kenji's name, and the fact that Matthew had died. "Actually, Eiji, Kotomi and Sakura also died in battle, working for Kenji... but that is old news, Yukari. With your help, we can storm the Soul Society and finally destroy it like it destroys so many of our kind."

Yukari looked into Ryo's eyes – he was sincere, she could tell. She smirked. "If so," she answered, "then I am pleased to reveal that Yukari Nosaka is your new ally." Ryo nodded, smirking.

"Very well, I shall report the good news to Kenji then," he started. "And we shall destroy those soul reaper fools together!" Yukari smiled at his comment, and at the fact he started to laugh darkly afterwards.

* * *

_And so Kenji's troops rally up some support for the upcoming final battle. Meanwhile, four of the most skilled captains of the Gotei 13 are asked to train Terri up for the said battle. Both sides seem to have plans, but which will succeed?_

_**Next chapter:** Terri's training begins. Kiyomi thrusts her in at the deep end, having Kenpachi be her first tutor. Meanwhile, Kenji's new troops meet, whilst his original troops begin to doubt his leadership. All this in the next chapter, 'The Way Of The Sword'._


	24. The Way Of The Sword

**Chapter 23 – The Way Of The Sword**

Kaede and Rei entered the throne room, followed closely by Kiseki Kiryu, to find Kenji sitting on his throne, apparently awaiting them. They also noticed that a large stone box was now in the middle of the room, which they began to question in their minds.

They stepped forward and presented Kiseki, who bowed to Kenji before walking forward to talk with him privately. "Kenji Ito, such an infamous name around Hueco Mundo," Kiseki sneered. "Why would he need any help, hmm?"

"Ah, Kiseki Kiryu," Kenji replied. "'The Bandit of the Sand' is what they call you, isn't it?" Kiseki nodded in reply, which gave Kenji a small smirk. "Excellent. You will aid us in our final attack on Soul Society then?"

"I shall, my lord," Kiseki replied. "And so will my followers. I have gained quite an army myself – mainly weak arrancar and hollows, but they are troops nonetheless." Kenji nodded in reply, leaving Kiseki to step back and explore the throne room. Before he could even start, however, Ryo entered the room with Yukari, who was standing close to Ryo, making him look uncomfortable.

"Lord Ito," Ryo started, "I present to you, Lady Yukari Nosaka, 'The Queen of the Desert'." He then guided her towards Kenji's throne, where she bowed to him before looking directly at Kiseki.

"Kiryu?!" she exclaimed, shocked. "They wanted your help too?!" Kiseki smirked at her reaction, walking towards her. "What, Yukari, surprised that I'm still alive after that double-cross?" he asked, staring into her eyes, giving her a cold chill. "There's a reason you're called 'Queen of the Desert', and that's because you rule it by any means necessary, right?"

Yukari looked to be extremely offended, but was held back by Ryo before she could do anything drastic. "She says that she will devote her forces towards our cause, Master Ito," Ryo continued, ignoring the commotion beside him. "This means that our forces have basically been increased by thirty times, especially if Kiryu has allied with us." He glanced at Kiseki, who nodded in reply, ignoring Yukari who was whispering insults and curses at him.

Kaede was still staring at the stone box through this, and only just broke her gaze with it. Something about it gave her such an empty feeling in her soul. She turned to Kenji, slowly. "Um, Kenji," she started, hesitant, "May I ask what the large stone box is for?" Kenji looked at her, displeased.

"That, Kaede, is Matthew's current coffin," he answered, coldly. Kaede's eyes widened in shock, so Rei grabbed onto her arm to calm her. Ryo glanced at the coffin, wearing a look of anger, but hid it from Kenji. Yukari smirked. "So the freak actually got what was coming to him, huh?" she asked, confidently.

Kiseki was fairly confused, so looked to Yukari to explain. "Matthew here was Ryo's old leader, and he chilled me to the bone," she started to explain. "He had the ability to revive himself no matter how many times he kicked the can – it was unnatural." She turned to Kenji, looking curious. "Just how did you do it, Kenji, may I ask?"

Kenji merely chuckled darkly. "You'll find out soon enough, Yukari, soon enough..." Yukari was puzzled, but Ryo grabbed her arm and shook his head, telling her to end the topic. Kenji quickly regained his composure, looking down to them all. "Do not tell Maya this, however, as I doubt she'll have enough sanity to be useful to me if you tell her I've buried the fool," he ordered.

Nobody answered, as Maya walked through the doors at that moment, with Genma following her. As Genma stepped through the doors, Yukari and Kiseki started to sweat. He looked at them both with a piercing glare, before walking up to Kenji and kneeling.

"Lord Ito," he started, "I would be honoured to follow you into battle, if you would let me," he praised, making Kenji smile proudly. "I sensed the spiritual pressures of everyone in this room before I entered, and that is when I made my decision. Your team is extremely varied yet have quite large spiritual energies, which makes them stronger as a whole. With me, however, your attack on Soul Society will be a definite success."

Kenji laughed sincerely. "Truly you are worthy of your title, 'Lord of the Wastelands'," he replied. "And I take it that your specially chosen troops are aiding us also?" Genma nodded, causing Kenji to laugh even harder, and more wildly.

"This will truly be our vengeance on Soul Society," he exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout his castle. "The combined forces here today destroy the Gotei 13 before they can even draw their pathetic swords!"

* * *

"Where are we going, Head-Captain Seiryoku?" Terri asked, as she followed Kiyomi, flash-stepping atop the rooftops of Soul Society. "You never told me what this is all about."

"And you don't need to know until we get there, Ms. Zakura," Kiyomi answered, smirking slightly. "But you should know that curiosity is not always a good thing to have." Terri sighed, but continued to follow. She was used to Kiyomi's secrets and her lessons to learn, so wasn't at all surprised she had answered her question with them.

They finally stopped, and Terri recognised it instantly. "Squad 11 barracks?" she asked, confused. Kiyomi smiled slightly. "Ms. Zakura, ever since Kenji's last attack, you have not been in a good state, and unfortunate to say, neither has Soul Society. So, to aid both it and you, I have scheduled you to undergo some training lessons with certain captains."

"Training? But I thought you taught me everything you knew," Terri said, confused. "I didn't, Ms. Zakura, I just taught you what you and Hiroshi could use together," Kiyomi answered, using Hiroshi's name tentatively. "But now you need to get up to speed on Gotei 13 training, so Captain Zaraki will start you off."

Just as she finished, Kenpachi stepped out of the barracks, sword over his shoulder. "So, when're we gonna get started, huh?" he asked Terri, who looked at him, smiling nervously. She quickly looked at Kiyomi, nervous. "But I'm kind of scared of him, Head-Captain..." she whispered, but Kiyomi just shrugged it off.

"I'll leave her in your capable hands for now, Kenpachi," Kiyomi nodded to Kenpachi, who smirked as she flash-stepped away. He then turned to Terri, who waved nervously. "Come on in, kid, and get warmed up," he said, "because I'm gonna be teaching you all about sword-handling."

Terri gulped slightly and stepped inside the barracks. She looked around, seeing weapons scattered around the room, though some were on the stand at the sides also. She could see that Yumichika was sparring with a few others, and Yumichika was clearly winning.

Kenpachi walked over to him, placing his hand on Yumichika's shoulder. "That's enough, Yumichika," he said. "It's time for Terri's training session." Yumichika looked slightly down-heartened, but still nodded, walking away from the training area, his sparring opponents following, albeit with limps and groans.

Kenpachi stood at one end of the dojo, and Terri set herself at the other, facing him. "Alright, Zakura, let's see how strong you are with your sword. Choose a sword, then choose a hand."

"What?" Terri answered. "One hand? Why not learn two-handed sword control, that's what we were learning in the academy." Kenpachi smirked. "Yeah, well, in Soul Society, learning to fight one-handed will benefit you in the long run. So just pick one."

Terri sighed and drew Kazedoragon, using her right hand. She raised it to Kenpachi, who smirked and pointed his sword at her. "I'm coming at you full force, Zakura," he exclaimed. "Don't let me down, alright?"

* * *

Kaede and Rei sat on one of the obelisks of the castle, looking over the sands of Hueco Mundo. "We can't trust Kenji anymore," Rei said quickly. Kaede looked at her, then nodded. "He's hiding everything from Maya," she replied. "He's such a fake. He killed Matthew and then lied about why to Maya, tricking her into believing Matthew betrayed us. Then he has the arrogance to tell us not to say anything to her."

"I know what you mean," a voice came from behind them. They turned to see Ryo standing in midair behind them, looking out to the distance. "I personally didn't want to betray my lord, but I had to, as Kenji has promised me something better. I was disgusted when he lied to Maya, and I hate my lord's 'coffin' in the throne room, reminding me that I'm the reason he's not with us. Kenji has gone too far."

"But... what can we do?" Kaede replied, disheartened. "He's way too powerful for all of us to conquer, especially now that he returned from the last battle. I don't know what happened, but he's impossibly powerful now."

"The only thing I can think of is to forget everything until after the final attack," Rei answered, sympathetically. "After Soul Society is gone, we can finally confront Kenji about all the lies he has been weaving, and Maya can finally be at peace..."

"Let's not speak of this matter anymore," Ryo interrupted. "Kenji may be listening in, or getting our new allies to do so for him. I know Yukari wouldn't, but I distrust Kiseki and Genma highly even though I respect Genma, primarily out of fear."

"Well, isn't this conversation interesting?" Yukari asked, smirking. She appeared suddenly in front of them, looking down on them. "So you're saying Kenji can't be trusted?" she asked them, curious. Ryo nodded in response, to which she growled. "I had a feeling it would be like that, being a soul reaper and all..." she trailed off, turning to Kaede and Rei. "Not that you're all soul reaper, I apologise," she added, smiling slightly.

"Kiseki and Genma have no idea what they've got themselves into," Ryo muttered. "I almost feel sorry for them both – almost."

* * *

Terri landed on the floor with a hard thud, sitting up and rubbing her back afterward. She was bruised and cut all over; Kenpachi having given her a hard time. She stood up slowly, groaning slightly.

"Captain Zaraki," she started, "do I have to use my sword in one hand?" she asked, sounding more like a complaint than a question. Kenpachi merely chuckled in response. "Well, Zakura, how about we go to two-handed sword training when we've finished one-handed?" he replied.

Terri nodded in defeat. Kenpachi smirked and lowered his sword. "Timeout, Zakura," he said. "We've done enough for today – it's gone dark." Terri was surprised, but went to look out of the window and saw that the moon was in the place of the sun, and nothing but dim radiance fell on her.

"You should go back to Squad 1, Zakura," Kenpachi said, walking towards the door to the rest of the barracks. "I was ordered to teach you, not to give you a room, now go."

Terri jumped to attention, then bowed before leaving quickly, her mind telling her that this thus cemented her fear of Kenpachi. She turned on her heel and then flash-stepped away.

"That girl is showing some good ability already," Kenpachi said to himself. "But tomorrow is a different day, and I'm sure along the way Ikkaku and Yumichika would want to help out too," he smirked. "Then after that, Raven's teaching you, so I'll need to toughen you up for his training regime, otherwise you could die before you even get to the battlefield."

* * *

It was two weeks after her first day training, and Terri was now learning two-handed swordsmanship, which Kenpachi showed annoyance over teaching. Terri stepped back as she looked over her adversaries, Ikkaku and Yumichika, before smirking and running at them.

She sliced her sword down at Ikkaku, who blocked with his sword, then went to ram his sheath into her abdomen. She quickly parried his blade and blocked just in time, knocking his arm away. She then kicked him back, brandishing her weapon more confidently.

Yumcihika smirked, running at her, his sword raised. Terri glanced at Kenpachi, who nodded in recognition, and started to smirk. She stood her ground, only moving when Yumichika struck with his weapon. She parried it almost instantly, knocking him off-balance, then proceeded to sweep his legs from under him.

Ikkaku growled and ran at her also, so she took her sword with two hands again. She blocked it as it came in, then pushed forward, forcing Ikkaku back a few feet. She then parried it quickly and slashed across his chest, causing a small cut. He stumbled forward slightly, but stepped back to the sidelines as Kenpachi raised his sword to Terri.

"I don't think you have much physical strength, Zakura, but you do have guts and smarts, and that is enough to gain my respect," Kenpachi smirked. "I want you to try and keep my sword away from you by using the kendo I've taught you until now."

Terri nodded at this, smirking herself. Kenpachi ran forward, striking down, which Terri parried instantly. She then stepped to the right slightly, elbowing him in the abdomen and knocking him back. He smirked in reply and came back with a stronger attack, which Terri had trouble keeping away.

She managed to, however, and stepped back a couple of steps, to keep her distance. "Mistake, Zakura," Kenpachi smirked, coming back with an even stronger attack. She blocked, but was forced back to the wall by Kenpachi's pure power.

"You should know that a sword has the most force at the tip, so if you step back, I'll have a greater arc to swing, making my attacks more powerful," Kenpachi explained. "Get up close and personal with your opponents, that way you'll never be overpowered by larger enemies!"

Terri nodded in response, running up to Kenpachi as he swung his sword down again. She took this chance and ducked under it, blocking it just under the guard. She found that this attack felt weaker to her, so she smirked as she put all of her weight into her attack, forcing Kenpachi back. He was taken by surprise and fell onto his back, his sword landing next to him.

Yumichika and Ikkaku looked on in amazement as Kenpachi fell to the floor, and ran up to him as he tried to get up. "Not bad, Zakura," he complimented. "You'll need to be that good because of who's training you next."

Terri looked at him in confusion. "What?" she asked. "You mean...?" Kenpachi chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I'm finished, there's nothing else I can teach you that others can't," he replied. "And your next tutor is someone who I think you'll start to fear more than me."

Terri gulped slightly in anxiety, starting to get worried. "Let's go visit him, huh?" Kenpachi asked, smirking, to which Terri nervously smiled.

* * *

Kiyomi sat in front of her desk, writing up reports, like it was a normal day in Soul Society. Chojiro glanced at her as he was shadow-sparring, and stopped to turn to her. "Um, captain, you don't mind me asking what you're doing, do you?"

Kiyomi smiled back. "Of course not, Chojiro," she replied. "And as to what I'm doing, I am ensuring that when Kenji returns, he'll be in for quite a shock." Chojiro questioned this, so she continued. "Well, I've set up a strict training regime for Ms. Zakura to follow, seeing as she is a rare prodigy amongst soul reapers."

"How can you be so sure, captain?" Chojiro replied. "Well, Chojiro, you did not see what she did to Kenji's hollow during battle recently," Kiyomi continued. "She was able to knock it over with ease, yet I was barely able to do so – the only way I could take it out was tangling it in my vines."

"Oh? And who is training her, may I ask?" Chojiro asked, with curiosity. Kiyomi smirked whilst answering, "Captains Zaraki, Ruhodesu, Kuchiki and Hitsugaya."

"Are you serious? How did you get Captain Ruhodesu and Captain Hitsugaya to work together in this, or Captain Zaraki and Captain Hitsugaya?" He stopped then added, "And what about all of their harsh training methods?"

"Well, they'll just add to her character," Kiyomi replied. "I'm hoping that she'll take parts of each of their personalities – although admittedly not their bad qualities. What I mean is: Kenpachi's lack of fear, Raven's intellect, Byakuya's ease in high-pressure situations and Toshiro's quick thinking. Put all of these things together and you get a highly-trained soul reaper... one who could even be ready to take my place if anything were to happen..."

* * *

Kiseki sat on a stone bench, looking over the training of the others. Kaede and Rei were sparring with themselves, seemingly at a standoff, though this wasn't surprising. Maya was sparring with Ryo, who had his resurrection released. Maya was using her tanto, but didn't look like she was focusing on the task at hand, looking down at her tanto from time to time.

Yukari walked over and sat down next to Kiseki. "You not practicing?" she asked. Kiseki shook his head. "No point," he answered, flatly. "I'd probably destroy this castle if I used my resurrection, so I'd best not chance it."

Yukari giggled in response to this. "Yeah, right, that's how I remember your power!" she replied, sarcastically. "When I last saw you, you were about a quarter the strength of me, and I've gotten much stronger since then."

"Yeah, well," Kiseki started, scowling. "I don't care what you have to say, Yukari. You were unimportant back then, and you're unimportant now." Yukari stood up, anger on her face, but then stopped herself. "For the good of our aim, I'm going to ignore that comment," she said, softly, before turning and walking towards the others.

She walked over to Maya, kneeling down to her. Kiseki saw Maya react with a smile, then hug Yukari, apparently back to her old self. Yukari then proceeded to stand up and face Ryo, smirking. Ryo realised what was happening and smirked back.

"It'll be good to face you again, Yukari," he said. "I haven't done so for years. I hope you haven't softened up." Yukari shook her head. "No way, Ryo," she answered. "After that embarrassing defeat you handed me, I'm here to show you different."

Kiseki sighed, running his hand through his hair. 'There's Yukari bragging again,' he thought to himself. 'She's always like that... too arrogant...'

* * *

Kenpachi led Terri around Soul Society, to her new tutor. After about 20 minutes, Terri was tired, and looked to Kenpachi for when they'd be there. "Um Captain Zaraki, when will we get there?" she asked, not wanting to complain.

Kenpachi was lost, but didn't want to admit it. "Soon, yeah... soon..." he answered, tentatively. They wandered around for a while, until a voice was heard above them. "Hey, Captain Zaraki," it echoed, Kenpachi and Terri looking up for it.

Izuru landed on the ground before them, bowing to Kenpachi. "Captain Zaraki, I was asked to escort you and Ms. Zakura to her next tutor," he said, Kenpachi smirking. "Fair enough, lead the way Izuru," Kenpachi answered, following him, Terri right behind him.

After 10 minutes, Izuru led them to a gate, which opened on his command. The three of them stepped through, the gate closing behind them, and Izuru walked up to a large building to the right. He knocked on the door, until it opened and Raven stepped out.

"Ah, Zakura is here, huh?" he said, smirking darkly. Terri became unnerved as he looked directly into her eyes. She felt the bloodlust that she felt when looking at Kenpachi, except this bloodlust felt like it didn't get released that often.

"I thank you Kenpachi for escorting her here," Raven said to Kenpachi, who nodded, smirking. "Just don't go over the top, Raven," he answered. "I know what your training methods do – I have seen Zeo after you finish with him."

Raven laughed softly. "I can't promise anything Kenpachi, but let's hope that you've toughened her up enough to deal with whatever I throw at her." He nodded as Kenpachi left, leaving Terri nervous as to what would happen next.

"Well, Ms. Zakura, you can get to know everyone in Squad 3 for today, because as of tomorrow, you're going to be put under the most strenuous training session you've ever had."

* * *

_And so Terri's training is under way, her zanpakuto skills being tested first. Next is Raven's session, but what will he have in store for her? And will it really be that difficult? Being Raven, it most likely could kill her..._

_**Next chapter:** Terri continues her training, Raven teaching her how to use all of her blades simultaneously. Meanwhile, training still goes on in Hueco Mundo, and Maya finally speaks with Ryo about what happened to Matthew. All this in the next chapter, 'The Rule Of Three'._


	25. The Rule Of Three

**Chapter 24 – The Rule Of Three**

Terri awoke with a start to a knock on her door, and in response, she drew her bedcovers up to her neck in surprise. "Um, who is it?" she asked, tentatively. The knock occurred again, so she got up quickly and walked over to the door, opening it.

Behind it stood Naomi, whom Terri wasn't too familiar with, so she was surprised when she saw her. "Um, Temporary-Captain Naomi Ruhodesu, right?" asked Terri, puzzled as to why she was at her door.

"Yeah, listen," Naomi started, feeling uncomfortable. "My brother wants you for training now, Ms. Zakura, and I have been ordered to take you there by force if you do not comply. I know that this is my brother messing with your mind, but I truly don't want to hurt anyone, so can you hurry?"

Terri sighed – this was going to be hell for her. "Alright, I'll get changed as fast as I can," she replied, rushing into her room and getting changed quickly. After a couple of minutes, she re-emerged, ready to leave.

Naomi smiled. "Thanks for understanding, let's go," she said, radiating a sort of warmth from her, which Terri was surprised at in contrast to Naomi's brother, who had the complete opposite feel. She thought to herself that it was ironic they had extremely similar spiritual pressures, but were this different personality-wise.

Making haste, they flash-stepped to Squad 3 where Zeo and Izuru were awaiting them. Zeo welcomed them in, albeit not in a friendly manner. "About time you got here, Captain Ruhodesu's been moaning about the fact he has to train you and you don't even arrive on time."

Terri's face fell – this _was_ going to be hell. She was startled, though, by the doors of the main building flying open and Raven himself stepping through them, a displeased look on his face.

"What time do you call this?" he asked, glaring at her. "I specifically asked you to be here today at 5:00 sharp, and it's now 5:45. You're lucky I have patience." Terri growled slightly, muttering under her breath "Yeah, well, five is too early to get up..." which she found to be a mistake as she finished.

"What was that?" Raven asked, starting to smirk. "So, you want punishment, huh? That's fair. I intended to give it out anyway." He turned to Naomi, nodding at her to dismiss her. She nodded back, and after turning to kiss Zeo on the cheek, exited through the main gates.

Terri looked back on this in surprise yet again. "What? You two are dating?" she asked Zeo, realising how offending it would be to the arrancar after she had said it. Zeo, however, shrugged it off. "I'm taking it you didn't mean it like that, right?" he replied, seeming sympathetic, to which Terri inwardly sighed in relief.

"Alright, enough of this, we're going to train now, Zakura," Raven interrupted, walking around to the back training area. Terri followed, slightly nervous, followed herself by Izuru and Zeo, who looked like they were there to keep her from running, which at this point was a valid option.

She stopped as they got to Squad 3's outdoor training area, a large paved rectangle in which there were many cuts and gouges into the cement. Raven walked over to one end and drew his sword. Terri took this as an order and stepped over to the other side, also drawing her sword.

They faced each other for what seemed to Terri like an eternity, until Raven smirked. "You don't even know what I'm here to teach you, do you?" he asked, amused. Terri shook her head in response, so Raven continued. "Well, I'm teaching you about multiple weapon use – I believe you have three swords, am I correct?"

Terri nodded in response, getting slightly more confident now that Raven was starting to get more familiar with her – he was talking to her instead of at her, for a start. "Well, you'll be surprised to know that I have two swords in my possession which you will now be struck down with."

Terri stepped back, anxious for what was coming next, as Raven drew his other sword, a shorter one which he held in his left hand. "Now, I want you to come at me and cut me at least once with both swords in this training session," he continued. "If you don't, then my bankai will have something to say about it."

He raised his longer sword and pointed it at Terri. "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi..." he spoke softly, the sword elongating into the scythe, black wings growing from his back and the sky overhead darkening. "And my bankai allows me to delete a person from existence when five of my feathers are placed on their body – as a sort of 'spiritual energy focus point'. You will be deleted if you do not cut me with both by the end of the day, or if you get caught by all five feathers. Good luck."

Terri's eyes widened in shock, and she stood slightly frightened. 'Deleted...?' she thought to herself. 'Is this harsh training or what?' She inhaled, steadying herself, and drew two of her swords, raising them in a stance. "Alright, I'm ready!" she yelled, confidently, as Raven smirked darker.

* * *

Kiyomi and Chojiro were currently in combat, swords locked together. "You're better than you look Chojiro, but since this is non-released sparring, I'm not surprised that we're equal," Kiyomi complimented him, adding the last part to remind him who was in charge.

"Yes, well, thank you, captain," he replied, backing off to rest. Kiyomi did likewise, stepping over to the window to look down at the academy ruins. "Kenji had better not get the wrong idea," she started, talking to herself more than anyone else.

"He thinks that because he defeated us last time, he absorbed all the power of Hell, and there are no more next generation soul reapers that we would all lie down like dogs, but he's wrong. We're stronger than that, we always have been. The thing about dogs is that they usually fight back stronger when provoked."

"Um, Captain Seiryoku..." Chojiro interrupted, forcing Kiyomi to break her stare at the academy ruins. "May I ask how Ms. Zakura is doing at the moment?" he continued, showing genuine concern.

"Well, Terri is currently in training with Raven, and I'm sure that she'll come out as strong as ever," Kiyomi replied, smiling. "Why do you ask?" Chojiro sighed, then answered. "Well, it's because I've heard stories about Captain Ruhodesu's training methods," he replied. "I've heard that he actually uses his bankai's deleting powers on those who do not master his teachings in time – is that true?"

Kiyomi smirked, then started to laugh softly. "Yes, yes, it's all true, Chojiro," she replied, Chojiro overreacting to her lackadaisical attitude slightly. "But it'll be fine, Terri will be able to do it, and after that, Raven will finally start to train her fairly."

* * *

Terri was in bad shape. She had four feathers placed on her body, with another six kunai wounds in her body where she forcibly removed them. Raven was laughing darkly as he raised Shinso in front of him. "Shoot 'em dead, Shinso!" he yelled, the sword shrinking slightly then vastly lengthening in size, piercing through the arena floor as Terri dodged quickly.

She flipped back to her feet, staring at Raven, eyeing the cut on his cheek where Kazedoragon had sliced him. Shinso retracted back into its normal form, and Raven readied his scythe again. Terri tried to think of a way to cut him again, but was coming up with nothing – Raven's defence was almost impenetrable, as he usually blasted her away with a kido blade if she got too close.

"Thinking of a way out of this situation, Zakura?" Raven mocked. "Well, you'd better do it quickly, or you may not live to be able to avenge your boyfriend's demise!" Terri's eyes instantly glared at him, her fists tightening around her hilts. However, before she lost control she calmed herself down, breathing deep.

She flash-stepped, appearing behind Raven to get a cut into his back, but didn't expect Shinso to shoot through the back of his haori in her direction. She swiftly blocked with Kazedoragon, then took a quick decision to throw Doragonsumiyaka straight at Raven's back, which he easily sidestepped.

Terri landed on the paved floor with a thud, and then heard Doragonsumiyaka land next to her where Raven had thrown it. "Come on, don't tell me that's the best you have!" he mocked again.

She stood up firmly and took a stance, picking up both of her swords as she did. Raven smirked again and raised Shinso. "Shoot 'em dead, Shinso!" he yelled again, thrusting the sword forward, increasing the velocity of its extension. Terri took this as her chance and, smirking, dodged it flawlessly, crossing her swords over the blade and using them as a guide to run up it to strike at Raven.

'Damn, my defence is open, how did she...?' Raven thought, before snapping back into focus to slice his scythe at her, which she took head on. She stumbled slightly, however, and both of her swords fell out of her hands to the ground, but she carried on. As she got to Raven's chest, she reached for the third of her blades – _her_ blade – and stabbed it forward.

She dropped to the ground as Shinso retracted again, and looked up to see Raven clutching his side, blood seeping through. She looked at the tip of her blade, it having Raven's blood slowly running down it, and smiled slightly.

"Congratulations, Zakura," Raven said, offering her a hand up. She was at first surprised, but accepted it anyway. "Now that you have cut me, you've passed test one, but there's more to come. Tomorrow we shall focus on using multiple weapons in a scenario that they were made for – multiple enemies. Izuru and Zeo here will be your opponents, and I think you'll be glad to know that it won't be against the clock either."

Terri bowed to him in appreciation, before he turned to look at the sun. "It seems like the day is up, and so is today's session Zakura. I expect you to be here at five every morning, do you hear me?" he asked, his voice commanding. She nodded quickly after jumping slightly, and left in a rush.

Zeo and Izuru looked expectantly at their captain, before he started to talk. "What? She did well. I'm not going to keep a grudge about this. I may have hated her parents, but the kid has some degree of warrior in her, whether it be natural or from Kenpachi's training. Either way, I think Captain Seiryoku was telling the truth that this girl is quite skilled," he explained. 'She's perhaps even skilled enough to replace a certain someone, if they fall in battle, eh Captain Seiryoku?' he thought, slyly.

* * *

Ryo and Maya stood facing the horizon, the winds picking up and sand flying around them. Ryo really didn't want to be here with Maya, as he knew something that she didn't, and he didn't want to be the one to tell her, but she had insisted.

"Ryo..." Maya started. Ryo turned to her, gesturing for her to continue. "Ryo is Maya's only family now, right?" she asked, a melancholic look on her face. Ryo was unnerved at this, but continued. "Yes, I guess I am, Maya," he replied, not letting any emotion through.

"Well, if so, Ryo would tell Maya anything, right?" she asked, still melancholic, which started to get Ryo spooked – he was the one who usually kept a single emotion, his being apathy.

"I guess I would, then," he replied, worried as what she would ask next. "Well," Maya began, "Mat is in the big stone box, right?" Ryo growled slightly, then nodded slowly, Maya seeing this and looking back into the distance.

"Maya sees..." she answered. Ryo thought that she was taking it too well to be true, but it appeared as though she was. "Maya noticed that there was a big cold energy inside the box, and that only happens to people that Ken puts in comas. Since Mat was put in a coma, Maya knew it was Mat, and Ryo didn't even tell Maya until Maya asked Ryo about it."

"Maya, Kenji wants your full support," Ryo replied, trying to change the subject. "He was worried that if you knew, it'd shatter your mentality. He was just worried for your sake."

"Does Ryo think that Maya's stupid?" came the reply, a reply so flat and to-the-point that Ryo was slightly shocked. "Maya is much smarter than Maya let's on. Ryo should know that, seeing as Ryo knows Maya well. Ken is just playing Maya for a fool, and Maya is no fool. Maya knows that Mat wanted to turn on Ken so that everyone would get better treatment, but Ryo turned on Mat. Why?"

Her question was more like an accusation, but Ryo simply nodded and replied calmly. "Kenji has promised me that he will use his healing abilities to revive Eiji, Kotomi and Sakura, so that we can fight together again. I had to betray my lord to prove my unwavering loyalty to Kenji."

"Maya sees..." Maya replied, in thought. "So when they come back, Ryo was going to beat Ken and get Mat out of Mat's coma?" Ryo nodded in reply, and Maya smiled for the first time in a while.

"Thank you Ryo," she continued, "Ryo really is Maya's family." Ryo looked at her, and inwardly sighed. He then turned to walk back into the castle, leaving Maya standing on the sands, musing over the new information she was given.

'If this is true, then Ryo had a good reason betray Mat, especially if Ryo was going to bring Mat back later,' she thought to herself. 'I miss Saka too... Saka and Ryo made a good couple...' She turned back to the castle. 'Kay and Rei have always been good to Maya, and Yuka is nice to Maya too... It's like they sympathise with Maya, but not anymore! Maya will be stronger: mentally and physically, so that they don't have to worry about Maya! Then Maya's gunning for Ken...'

* * *

Terri blocked another strike from Zeo, whose sword wasn't released, as he said she wouldn't want to go up against it as it would most probably kill her on touch. Izuru, however, did have his sword released, and its shikai was causing her big problems. Her Kazedoragon was extremely heavy now, and was dragging her reaction speeds down.

"Come on!" Raven yelled from the sidelines. "You've faced the same abilities many times over the past two weeks, you can do this Zakura!" Terri heard this and closed her eyes, thinking it over.

"I know that you've been planning each training session over and over in your head since last week. I know that you have a plan to defeat both of them, and I want to see it. Get on with it!"

Terri opened her eyes and smirked. She raised Kazedoragon slightly, growling at the weight of it. "Fly, Kazedoragon!" she yelled, the sword disappearing in a whirl of wind, and a large dragon-head of air forming behind her. She gestured forward, and the dragon swept forward, its wind pushing both Izuru and Zeo back.

She took this chance to release her other sword. "Flash, Doragonsumiyaka!" she smirked, although her sword didn't change, but she knew what to do next anyway. She flash-stepped swiftly, yelling "Kyokudochisoku!" as she did. She appeared above Izuru, finishing him off with a "Hado 33, Soukatsui!" which blasted him into the ground below.

She landed on her feet as Zeo gained some balance in the high-speed winds. The wind finally calmed down and Zeo growled. "Not bad, Terri, not bad at all," he complimented. "But this isn't my real power, you see..." He drew another sword from inside his clothing, and laughed slightly as he handled it.

"This is my resurrection! Writhe, Tenencia!" The sword quickly vanished as large bone claws appeared on his hands, as did a large bone tail on his back. His mask grew slightly to cover the right half of his face, and needle-like tips appeared on his fingers and tail.

"Now, see if you can dodge this!" He fired his right-hand needles at Terri, who blocked them all before flash-stepping behind him. "Now," she smirked, "Sumiyaka Tatsumaki!" she yelled, as she started to circle around Zeo, who watched closely.

She started to speed up, and the wind started to pick up. Zeo finally realised what she was planning as the twister finally formed, pulling him up into the air, which threw him to the opposite side of the arena into the stone wall.

Terri stopped running and came to a halt as Raven stepped forward. "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi!" he yelled, his scythe elongating out, the sky darkening and black wings erupting from his back. "Now, face me soul reaper to soul reaper!"

Terri went to force Kazedoragon at him, but he sent a kido blade at her hand, deactivating the shikai swiftly, the sword falling to the ground. She looked desperately at it, amazed it was deactivated that quickly.

She raised her other sword and flash-stepped swiftly away. Raven stood still, sensing where she came from next. He turned around and sent a kido blade flying, just missing her, slicing the tips of her hair as she dodged.

'Damn, I'll have to use it... there's no other way...' she thought. She stood up and drew her third sword. "Let the white moon rise, Tsuki no Ryu!" she yelled, her sword starting to glow in response. The blade and handle lengthened out, both bleaching white. Raven looked on in awe, surprised at her new shikai.

"So... this is your actual shikai, right?" he asked, smirking. "Alright, show me your power!" He rushed forward, scythe at the ready, but Terri had already dodged. She appeared at the other end of the arena, before yelling "Kyokudochisoku!" and appearing above him, where she aimed her other shikai. She forced it forward, creating a large beam of water which shot at Raven like a jet stream, pushing him into the wall.

Terri landed and deactivated her shikais, walking up to Raven to see if he was alright. "Um, Captain Ruhodesu, are you...?" she managed to ask, before Raven stood up, towering over her.

"You pass, Zakura," he said, deactivating his bankai. "That last attack was a pure fusion of two shikai abilities. It was a sight for the ages, a true execution of multiple weapons in battle."

"Um, thank you, Captain Ruhodesu," Terri replied, gracefully. "But may I ask why you're being nice to me now, and why you've been mean to me since I started?" Raven, however, laughed softly.

"Because to make sure you focused on your training, I riddled your mind with taunts and distractions, hoping that you would use these as a fuel to do better. This was also true of my threats of deletion during our sessions."

"You... played mind games with me?!" Terri asked, slightly annoyed. "That's really immoral!" Raven yet again answered with a smirk. "And yet it worked, did it not? You are now more powerful than you were before, and this is because of the way I train body and mind." He opened the gates to Squad 3, as Izuru and Zeo finally got up. "Follow me, I need to take you to your next tutor."

* * *

They both arrived at a set of gates, to which Raven opened without question. "I'm expecting we got here quicker than Kenpachi led you to mine?" Raven asked back to Terri, who smiled and laughed nervously.

"Truthfully, Zakura, I don't hate you – just your parents," he continued. "I see some of them in you, but I also see a warrior in you that neither of them could have been. You have the possibility of being a great warrior, stronger even than Kenpachi if you wanted, and for that you have my respect."

They stepped through the gates, and Raven turned to her. "You'll need all the strength you can get for this, though," he added, as the doors to the main building opened and Byakuya stepped out, eyeing Terri, before walking over to them.

Raven met him and came in close to whisper. "You're teaching kido right?" he asked Byakuya, who nodded. "Well then, why not teach her Bakudo 93 and Hado 78?"

"I think that your use of kido is not what Soul Society created kido to do," Byakuya answered. "You use it to slowly hinder your opponents instead of finishing them straight off, so forgive me if I do not pass on the knowledge of those kido spells."

Raven backed off, slightly annoyed, but left anyway. "I leave her in your capable hands, Byakuya," he said, before walking off, the gates closing behind him. Byakuya was left with Terri, who he immediately looked at.

"I am Captain of Squad 6, Byakuya Kuchiki, and I shall be teaching you the ways of kido and the flash-step," Byakuya started. "But please note, even though I am far more tolerant of failure than Kenpachi or Raven I shall still deem you a waste of my time if you successively fail in everything you do. Keep that thought in your mind."

With that, Byakuya stepped back into the main building, leaving Terri standing with a puzzled and slightly nervous smile on her face. 'I'm not going to be ready for this, am I?' she asked herself.

* * *

_And her second training period is now over. Next comes Byakuya, and what does he have in store for Terri? Also, it seems Kenji's followers are losing faith in him, so what will come of all of this hatred?_

_**Next chapter: **Next is Byakuya's training session - kido and shunpo. Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, it seems that Kenji's followers still have a dislike for him, and a coup could happen at any moment. Find out about all this in the next chapter, 'The Power Within'._


	26. The Power Within

**Chapter 25 – The Power Within**

Terri awoke to the sunlight glistening through her window, into her eyes. She squinted as she reached to draw the curtains, but then heard a soft knock on the door. Looking at the clock on her wall, she saw it was 8.00 in the morning, so struggled out of bed and yawned, making her way to the door.

"Alright, I'll be right there," she called out, weakly. "I've just woken up." She clumsily stumbled to the door and opened it slowly, seeing in front of her the form of Rukia Kuchiki, who looked at her sympathetically.

"So, up now Terri?" she asked, humoured. Terri yawned lazily before snapping to attention as she realised Rukia was standing before her. "Um, yeah," she replied, sheepishly. "Thanks for getting me up, Lieutenant Kuchiki. After what happened at Captain Ruhodesu's training sessions, I wouldn't want to think about what Captain Kuchiki would do if I was late."

"Yes, well, Captain Ruhodesu is known for his rather _extreme_ ways of building character," Rukia said. "But I'm sure he really had your best interests at heart." Terri sighed. "Yeah, I think he did eventually..."

"Anyway," Rukia interrupted. "I'm here to accompany you to your first training session under my brother, and perhaps I'll even aid in it. So get changed and get ready on the double, or my brother may go even harder on you than Captain Ruhodesu did."

"Yes ma'am!" Terri replied, saluting Rukia and rushing back in to get ready. Rukia had to wait an extra 10 minutes, but Terri eventually stepped out, eager to leave. Rukia smiled, then turned on her heel, flash-stepping towards Squad 6, Terri following in her wake.

* * *

"Hado 4, Byakurai!" Renji yelled, firing the white lightning towards the intended target, which exploded on contact. Byakuya just closed his eyes.

"Very well, it appears you can at least do a level 4 kido spell with no difficulty, but I wonder how you'll deal with the intense training that Terri will be going under." Renji growled at this, and raised his hand to the target once again.

"I'll show you," he snarled under his breath. "Hado 33, Soukatsui!" He fired the blue flame in anger, which subsequently exploded in his face, sending him flying into the opposite wall.

Byakuya sighed. "Renji, if you don't calm down and concentrate fully on the task at hand when performing a kido spell, it will ultimately backfire," he explained, as Renji got up slowly. "Much like what just happened now."

"Yeah..." Renji groaned. "Thanks for the warning..." As he stood up, rubbing the back of his head, Rukia stepped through the gates, followed tentatively by Terri. Rukia stood silent, looking over Renji, who was thoroughly singed by the last failed hado, and smiled slightly.

"Looks like you're still not that good, Renji," she teased, as he turned away, annoyed. "Not my fault, anyway," he snarled. "If kido doesn't even work in a high-pressure situation then it's not worth my time."

"Kido does work in high-pressure situations, Renji," Byakuya interrupted, standing to welcome Terri in. "I myself have used kido during fights with you, have I not? Or were you fighting blind those times?"

Renji growled again, and walked up to Terri, who was finding it hard not to laugh. "Huh, so you're Zakura's kid?" he asked her. "You sure do like like your parents, I'll give you that, but that doesn't mean you're as good as they were."

Byakuya hushed him by raising a hand. "Renji, if you didn't know, Captains Zaraki and Ruhodesu have already given me nothing but praises about this girl, so you may not doubt her abilities," he said, flatly.

Renji looked at Terri, wide-eyed. "You survived Captain Ruhodesu's 'training methods'?" he asked, stunned. His face then cracked a smirk. "Then that means you are good – excellent."

Terri smiled nervously, and looked to Byakuya for instructions. He nodded towards the main building, which she followed him to. Inside, a large dojo was constructed, the walls holding nothing but the bare wood. She looked around, to get a feel of the room, which started to seem larger because the walls were bare.

"Anything we had in this room we've taken out," Renji explained, following behind her. "Because of all the kido that will happen, we didn't want anything important to be destroyed."

"And think of it this way," Rukia continued for him. "Now there's more room to move about, meaning more intricate moves can be performed." Byakuya stopped at the centre of the dojo, Terri taking this as a sign and moving over to kneel in front of him.

"Now, Terri," he started. "I shall demonstrate how the kido you have previously used in the academy is used without incantation. You have, until this point, always used incantations, correct?"

"Um, yeah," she replied. "But I didn't really feel that I had to use them myself..." Byakuya nodded, turning to Renji, who had taken a position a few metres away from him. "Very well, this just proves that you are more than ready for higher level kido spells."

He pointed two of his right hand fingers at Renji. "Bakudo 1, Sai," he said, slowly, as Renji's arms quickly twisted around his back. "Ow, come on captain, a little looser maybe?" he groaned as he fell backwards to the dojo floor.

Terri nodded quickly. "Yeah, that was one I didn't have any trouble with in the academy..." she started, but then stalled on the word 'academy', obviously remembering her time with Hiroshi.

Rukia noticed this and kneeled down to her level. She placed her hand on her shoulder, and smiled to reassure her. "Come on, we can think about that later, alright?" she said, sympathetically. Terri looked into her eyes, which radiated warmth, and smiled, nodding back. There was something about Rukia that reminded her of her mother – it may have been because she used to be her mother's captain, she didn't know.

Terri looked up and turned back to Byakuya, who nodded in response. "And now, Renji, stand," he ordered, Renji doing as he said as Sai wore off. Byakuya yet again raised his hand to Renji. "Bakudo 61, Rikujoukourou," he said softly, six thin white bars appearing from the corners of the room. They flew in too quikly for Terri to spot, and struck Renji in the abdomen.

Terri stared at the sight, amazed. Byakuya turned to her as the kido deactivated, Renji falling to the floor. "The incantation for this is..." Byakuya started, "'Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six.' Do you think you can handle that, Terri?"

Terri nodded, standing up. Byakuya however raised his hand. "No, not on Renji, he needs some time to recover," he explained. "Instead, you will focus on a moving target, so that you will be able to integrate this kido into your arsenal."

He then drew his sword, lifting it blade up. "Scatter, Senbonzakura," he said, the blade dissolving into the small petals. They flew around the room, eventually coming to encircle Byakuya himself.

"Now, you will attempt to hit my shikai, being focused on where it will move next," he explained. "In a few days, if I view your progress as satisfactory, I shall stand in for my shikai, so you may focus on the power of the kido you are using. Renji and Rukia may also train with you in this way, so be prepared."

With that, he gestured, his shikai following his hand and flying to the far corner of the room. Terri followed it with her eyes, studying its path. She breathed deep, then raised her palm. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel," she started. "With light, divide into six, Bakudo 61, Rikujoukourou!" she yelled, the six bars of light flying through the air and focusing on the shikai. They all hit dead on the mark, and Byakuya recalled his shikai.

"Very well," he mused. "Next, we shall attempt for you to do so without the incantation, shall we proceed?" Terri nodded enthusiastically; astonished she got it that fast. Rukia was showing surprise also, whilst Renji was only just getting up.

* * *

Kiseki and Yukari stood next to each other, watching over Ryo, Maya, Kaede and Rei as they trained. Kiseki quickly turned to Yukari, a look of curiosity on his face. "So, what's with you and Ryo, huh?" he asked. "Rekindled the spark from our old 'Desert Mafia' days?"

Yukari blushed slightly. "No, what would ever make you ask that?" she replied, embarrassed. She regained her composure and turned to Kiseki, smirking darkly. "Why? Jealous, are we?"

Kiseki snarled, turning away. "Not in the slightest," he growled. He then looked back to their allies training. "I did want to talk about something else, however," he continued, his voice calmer and more serious. Yukari looked at him, surprised, and he continued.

"I want to know if you think this whole 'Kenji Ito' business isn't just a big waste of time, or if there's something deeper than that," he said, his voice quiet and low. "I want to know if you think Kenji can be trusted. I don't think that this Matthew guy was that hated by the rest of Kenji's forces, so why would he say that he betrayed them, when they obviously resent him for killing the guy?"

Yukari frowned. "I know what you mean," she said, trying to sound genuine. "Maybe it is all a farce – this getting-together of an army and this whole attack against Soul Society, or maybe it's just that we're looking too hard into it."

Kiseki narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, maybe you're right..." he mused, looking through a window of the throne room, towards the dark skies of Hueco Mundo. Yukari sighed silently in relief. 'I'm glad I didn't tell you what the others actually think Kiseki,' she thought. 'Because as much as I don't want you to die that way, my trust in you keeping your mouth shut really falls short. It's unfortunate that Kenji will betray us all, and it's even more unfortunate that now we're in it, we can't run away. It's inevitable, and we can't do anything, because he's too powerful.'

Her train of thought was interrupted by a low growl behind her. She and Kiseki turned quickly to see Genma overlooking the training session. Genma, ever since arriving, had only spoken with Kenji away from the others, and she was more suspicious of him than anyone else – even Matthew, when she first met him.

"It appears that our allies are getting down to training," he said, fairly amused with how Maya battled. "And yet, neither of you two have trained yet, why is that?" Yukari's eyes narrowed – he was catching on. She hadn't used her powers yet so that if Kenji did eventually attempt to kill her, she could surprise him.

"Oh, no worries, Genma," she said, gesturing for him not to worry. "We just don't feel that we should, you know, so that we can rest and build our energy until when we finally strike Soul Society in its heart."

Kiseki caught on, and continued her path of thought. "Yeah, I mean, we came straight from the sands of Hueco Mundo, so we are still pretty beat up since we were living rough," he said, unwavering at Genma's intense stare. "I'm sure it's the same with you, am I right?"

Genma was silent for a few seconds, then smirked slightly. "Fair enough, I agree," he said, chuckling slightly. "Let's let the higher ranking members of our army train so we can watch and pick up pointers. It's a wise thing to do, since they have had more experience with Soul Society."

"Yeah," Yukari sighed silently. "That's it. Pointers, yup, exactly what I meant." Kiseki felt like hitting her over the head for not being smooth enough, but Genma merely turned and walked towards Kenji's room – most likely to talk yet again.

Kiseki held his head with his hand. "Yeah, that was sly, Yukari," he said, his sarcasm seeping through heavily. Yukari pouted, putting her hands on her hips. "Come on, you know I'm not that good at covering up," she answered, acting hurt.

"Whatever," Kiseki replied, walking away to his own room. Yukari inwardly sighed yet again. 'What little you know Kiryu, what little you know,' she thought.

* * *

It was a week and a few days into Terri's training with Byakuya, and she had come a long way. She stood at the centre of the dojo, Rukia and Renji surrounding her. She turned swiftly to Rukia as she reached for her sword. "Hado 63, Raikouhou!" she yelled, releasing a wave of yellow energy towards Rukia, who was knocked back into the wall before she could even draw her sword.

Renji took this opportunity and drew his own sword, slicing forward to make contact with Terri. Terri jumped back, however, and raised her hand again. "Hado 89, Nenshouyami!" she yelled yet again. A circle of black flames appeared around Renji, who was taken aback, having not seen this kido before. He jumped and flipped to dodge it, landing next to the back wall.

Terri smirked. "Now, Hado 85, Kurotama no Tentou!" she exclaimed, a large black sphere emanating from her fingertips and firing rapidly at Renji. Renji started to sweat and quickly flash-stepped out of the way. The sphere, however, continued and exploded on contact with the wall, blasting a large hole in it.

Terri looked on, slightly taken aback herself at how powerful she was. Renji walked up behind her, overlooking the damage. "Aren't you glad we moved everything out now?" he said, humour in his voice.

Byakuya stepped forward, also showing mild surprise. "How did you know those kido spells?" he asked her, also eyeing the damage to the wall. Terri looked at him, awkwardly replying. "Well, my parents taught me them, and said for me to use them when I get strong enough," she explained. "They said that they were taught them by my Aunt Haruka, before she passed away."

Byakuya and Renji looked at each other, as Rukia finally got back up, listening in to the conversation. "So that means you have had access to these kido abilities ever since you enrolled at the academy?" Byakuya asked.

Terri nodded. "I never thought anything of them until now, since I never thought I was strong enough," she answered. "Well, not until now, I mean four of the top captains are personally training me – so I thought that was reason enough to use them."

"I understand, Terri," Byakuya said, walking to the other end of the dojo. "And now I think I can teach you an infamous kido attack, the Hado 90, Kurohitsugi. I believe it is a personal favourite of Captain Seiryoku, who uses it quite often during battles."

"The Kurohitsugi...?" Terri wondered aloud. Rukia and Renji were now stood behind her, and Rukia spoke up first. "Yes, but I'm afraid you cannot use this on any member of the seireitei, as it is too powerful," she explained.

"Yeah, and that's why we need to give you some sort of training dummy for this exercise," Renji continued. "As even on a highly experienced captain like Captain Kuchiki, Hado 90 is extremely dangerous."

Byakuya looked up to Renji. "Renji, we need a training dummy from one of the other squads, do you know of one?" he asked. Renji nodded in response. "Yeah, I know for definite that Squad 3 has one, as Izuru recently told me Captain Ruhodesu got one for target practice."

"Excellent, if you were to get it?" Byakuya asked, though it sounded more like an order. Renji bowed, flash-stepping towards Squad 3. Terri looked down at the floor. 'Alright, this is going to interesting...' she thought. 'It's either going to go well, or blow up in my face...' She then started to get worried about her own thoughts. 'I hope it doesn't blow up in my face, that'd be bad...' she added.

* * *

Half an hour passed of waiting for Renji to return, and in this time Byakuya taught Terri the hand gesture and the incantation needed for the kido spell. She was repeating these over in her head as Renji walked through the large hole in the wall, carrying a large wooden dummy. He walked to the centre of the dojo and placed it down, facing Terri.

Terri focused on it, but was surprised as Raven stepped through the hole in the wall too. "Ah, so this is the extent of your power, Zakura?" he asked, humoured. "Well, if so, I'll enjoy watching this Kurohitsugi you're attempting."

He turned to her. "Also, your next teacher has come to see your abilities now," he added, as Toshiro stepped through the hole in the wall, obviously displeased with the fact Raven was here.

He walked over to Terri and nodded. "Terri Zakura, I am Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad 10," he introduced himself. "I am looking forward to training you for the last part of these 2 months, after all I've heard."

"You'll probably learn something from her, Toshiro, more than anything," Raven said, slyly. Toshiro glared at him in response, but Raven merely walked away to the other side of the room.

Byakuya finally returned to the dojo and gestured at the dummy, to which Terri nodded. She stood up from her seat and walked slowly towards the wooden dummy. She held her hand in the position Byakuya had taught her and got herself ready to say the incantation. Before she could, however, Byakuya interrupted her.

"No, Terri," he spoke. "You shall do this incantation in your mind, not aloud. I believe that it will be possible for you." Terri sighed, which didn't help her anxiety. 'Alright, this isn't going well...' she thought. 'I've just got to think positive, that's all. Positive thoughts... I can do this.'

She breathed deep and stared at the wooden dummy, holding her hand out in the gesture she was taught. She went over the incantation in her head, before shouting aloud "Hado 90, Kurohitsugi!" The large black box formed around the dummy, whilst the black lances of energy punctured repeatedly into it. After what seemed like minutes to Terri, it dissolved and the dummy fell to floor, heavily shredded.

Renji and Rukia were shocked, and stood silently gaping at her power. Raven smirked slightly – finally believing she was a child prodigy. Toshiro merely nodded, impressed but not showing it. Byakuya stood up and walked towards Terri.

"How do you feel, Terri? Tired?" he asked apathetically. "Um, yeah," she replied. "Just a bit tired. Is it always like this? I mean, every time I do Hado 90?" Byakuya shook his head, whilst looking over the damage to the dummy.

"No, just on the first few attempts," he replied. "The Kurohitsugi is an immensely powerful kido spell, which draws out most of the user's spiritual energy unless thoroughly controlled. With a little more practice, you'll become more adept at using it."

"Well, Zakura," Raven said, looking over his now-destroyed training dummy. "I think we've found ourselves a child prodigy. Well, I'd think it wouldn't be that bad to have parents who were both highly ranked officers, but from what I'm seeing, you have pure skill."

Terri began to sweat-drop. All the time she had known Raven, he had never complimented her that well, even when she did something right in training. She was starting to get embarrassed.

"Still," Raven continued, "Byakuya, you owe me one training dummy, you know. That one used to belong to Squad 11, so I don't want them to find out it got ruined whilst I was loaning it."

Toshiro ignored Raven and looked Terri in the eyes before speaking. "I shall be extremely looking forward to our training sessions, Terri," he said quickly, turning to leave. "I shall wait for your appearance at my squad when you are finished here." With that, he left through the large hole in the wall, leaving Terri slightly taken aback.

"Still, I think you can learn more good kido spells," Raven started, before Byakuya looked at him, displeased. Raven took the look as a message to leave, and did so. "If you want to know how to hinder your opponents even more, Zakura, come and see me, alright?" he added before leaving.

Byakuya nodded to Terri. "I think it's about time you went to your new tutor then, since I can teach you no more," he said. "Although I do wish you luck in your next group of tests."

Terri bowed low, then turned and went to leave Squad 6, until she heard Rukia following her. "Terri, wait up!" she yelled, catching up. As she reached her, she turned and smiled. "You don't know where Captain Hitsugaya's squad are, do you?"

Terri shook her head – she knew she had no idea where she was going. Rukia laughed slightly. "Well, I'll show you, come on," she replied, flash-stepping ahead. Terri watched her running ahead and smiled slightly before following her.

* * *

_For those who recognize the two kido spells that Terri used, that's good. It means that 'One Thousand Pieces' hasn't left your memories yet. 'Nenshouyami' is 'Burning Darkness' and 'Kurotama no Tentou' is 'Black Shot of Heaven', both loosely translated by me, so please don't berate me if they're slightly off. Anyway, now that her training with Byakuya is done, Terri moves onto her final training session with Toshiro, but what will she have to do for it to pass?_

_Also, I've been thinking of writing a sort-of prequel to both fics. It would deal with everything the newly-debuted arrancar were up to until they were enrolled with Kenji, and I think it would be good to explore their backstories a bit. So, what does everyone think?_

_**Next chapter:** It is in fact more of a spiritual journey than anything, as Terri is transported to the plane of her zanpakuto, for the direct approach to gain bankai. However, this may come with dire consequences if she were to fail. Meanwhile, it seems that some plotting is going on behind the arrancars' backs, as Genma discusses a deal with Kenji. All this in the next chapter, 'The Trinity Unite'._


	27. The Trinity Unite

**Chapter 26 – The Trinity Unite**

Terri and Rukia arrived at Squad 10, the doors opening slowly to their presence. Terri was gaining confidence with every minute of her training, and this minute was no different. 'Well, I've done quite honestly everything my tutors have asked of me...' she thought. 'So why would this training be any different? My physical condition is at its peak, and I know I've got full control of all of my shikais, so how hard could bankai be?'

The doors finally opened fully, and Terri saw Toshiro standing in the middle of a clear area before the buildings. He had his arms crossed and wore a stern look. "About time you got here," he said. "Rangiku, we're ready."

Rangiku appeared out of nowhere and landed next to him, holding a wooden sword-stand. "Shall I set it up, captain?" she asked, to which Toshiro nodded in reply. She stepped forward and placed it in front of him, then walked back to his side. Toshiro beckoned Terri over, who looked to Rukia. She merely smiled and started to leave, whispering a "Good luck," before she did.

Terri sighed, suddenly nervous, and stepped forward before the sword-stand. Toshiro nodded at it, indicating her to kneel before it, which she did without a second thought. "This sword-stand isn't just any normal stand," he started. "This stand will allow you take your mind to a different plane – the plane of your zanpakuto spirit. There you will be able to converse with it and eventually pass its test for you. After that, you will be able to use bankai at will, no strings attached."

Terri was surprised. Instead of physical training, she was going to undergo some kind of meditation process, which she wasn't expecting. She looked tentatively at the stand, then up to Toshiro, who looked expectantly back. "What?" he asked. "Weren't expecting this sort of training? Fair point, the rest of the training you've done has been physical, but to fully get your bankai on your good side in less than 2 weeks, you will need to send your mind to its plane. I'm not saying that it isn't dangerous. If your mind dies there, then your body dies here. It's just that there's no other way around it."

Terri nodded, then breathed in deep. "Okay, I'm ready Captain Hitsugaya," she smiled, thinking positively. Toshiro nodded in response, and Terri went to place her sword on the stand. Rangiku kneeled down and placed her hand on Terri's shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry Terri, if you need any aid, I'll be here to bring you out of the trance, alright?" she reassured her.

Terri nodded, then turned back to the stand and raised her hands towards her sword. Toshiro nodded to her. "Yes, now only lightly touch your sword, so that your mind can be transferred without severe interruption," he explained. Terri again nodded and placed her fingers on her sword. As they lightly felt its surface, Terri felt her mind snap out of her reality. The buildings, sky and ground faded into the distance, as did Toshiro and Rangiku.

* * *

Terri couldn't move, she was paralysed to the spot. She didn't know why, whether it be fear or surprise, but she just couldn't move. Eventually, something else faded into her vision. She was surrounded by an endless, flat plain underneath a dark grey sky, where thunder was starting to rumble.

She grasped for her sword, but looked down to see that it had disappeared, along with the stand holding it. She looked around in panic, noticing a few odd trees dotted around the plains, usually accompanied by a small pool of water next to them.

Terri breathed in deep and stood up. She had decided to explore, and so looked for something interesting to travel to. She spotted a large cliff in the distance, and so started to walk in its direction.

As she got closer, she started to feel a strange energy coming from it, which slightly chilled her, but she quickly gained her confidence and walked on. As she got closer, she could see what was on the face of the cliff – a large carving depicting what looked like a battle between two large dragons. One was surrounded by lightning as it soared in the sky, whilst the other was submerged in the sea, the waves following its movements.

As she stood in awe of the large carving, she heard a voice emanating from deep inside the cliff, coming from a small opening in the cliff face. She stepped through, strangely drawn in by the calming voice.

'_Come, child,'_ it soothed. _'Come and meet me, Terri. I've been waiting for you.'_ Terri was shocked. 'How does it know my name?' she asked herself. 'Is this the voice of my spirit? If so... why were there two dragons carved on the cliff face...?'

She arrived at a clearing, which was a stark contrast to the long dark tunnel she had just walked down. The rock walls were blue, for a start, a colour which Terri did not think was too common. The truly fascinating thing was a man-made fountain standing at the front of the room, spraying clear blue water into the air.

Terri smiled slightly and walked over towards it, to get a better view. She looked into the pool at the bottom, which seemed to stretch down forever. A low rumble came from it, to which Terri jumped back slightly. She backed off even more, however, as a large form flew up and out of it and hovered in front of her in the air. The water at the bottom had been brought up with it and had now been sprayed gracefully around with a strong gust of wind, accenting this new being's beauty.

A large blue dragon was now before her, and Terri was too shocked to speak. "Um..." she stuttered. "Are you... my... zanpakuto spirit?" she managed to blurt out. The dragon nodded slowly, then landed slowly onto the ground before it.

'_My name is Tsuki no Ryu, as you may well know,'_ it said calmingly. _'I am your zanpakuto spirit. Or I would be, if I didn't share this title. You should also be aware of this.'_

"What?" Terri asked, puzzled. Something then clicked in her brain. "Oh yeah, that's just one of my shikais, I can also use Raikou no Ryu, can't I?" The dragon nodded in response, then looked up towards the ceiling, where a large opening in the rock gave sight of the electrified sky above.

'_My sister is Raikou no Ryu,'_ the dragon continued. _'However, she is much too hot-headed and abrasive for me to handle. She stormed off shortly before you arrived, yelling about how you'd never come to look for us. Now that you're here, maybe she will calm down.'_

"So, you want me to find her?" Terri answered. Tsuki no Ryu nodded in response and Terri looked up to the sky again. 'This looks challenging... finding lightning? How am I going to do this?' she thought.

* * *

Terri was now stood on the plains yet again, looking up at the sky. "Come on, Raikou no Ryu!" she yelled up to the lightning. "I'm Terri Erika Zakura, your master, now come down! Your sister is worried!"

Nothing happened. Terri stared at the sky but all that happened was a stray lightning bolt streaming from cloud to cloud. Terri sighed and turned to walk away, but was caught off-guard by a lightning bolt, which she rolled away to avoid.

_'You dare turn your back on me!'_ a harsh voice bellowed down from the skies. _'Terri Erika Zakura, running away from little old me? How dare you have the cheek to do so! I will strike you down where you stand, little girl!'_

Terri's eyes widened as a lightning bolt shot from the sky, hitting the ground in front of her. She backed away, ready for another, reaching for her sword. She gasped as she remembered – she didn't have it any more.

'Well that makes sense,' she thought, 'Since I'm being attacked by my sword right now!' She reached for her other swords, but found that they were gone too. 'Damn it! What the hell...!?'

* * *

Rangiku went to check on Terri, but Toshiro raised his arm to stop her. "No, not yet, Rangiku," he ordered. "She's not finished yet. Nobody except Terri can do this, so we'll wait until she does. After all, she passed Kenpachi's, Byakuya's and even Raven's training sessions, so she should be fine in this."

"But captain, look at her!" Rangiku answered, gesturing at Terri. Terri was sweating heavily, her body shaking violently. Toshiro closed his eyes, before responding. "Rangiku, leave her, she'll be fine," he answered, flatly.

Rangiku gave in, but still wore a worried expression, as Terri continued to shake and sweat. 'Come on Terri, you can do this,' she thought, reassuring herself.

* * *

Terri dodged another lightning bolt, rolling to avoid it. She cursed under her breath as Raikou swooped down to attack her, so she dodged yet again. She could now see Raikou for her beauty – coloured gold and sparkling elegantly. Raikou flew up to the sky again, laughing as she did.

_'I haven't had this much fun in a while,'_ she chuckled. _'Maybe I'll continue this for a while longer! It makes up for you not seeing us until now, really. I mean, how ignorant do you have to be?'_

"Ignorant?" Terri echoed. "I didn't even know there was a spirit in my zanpakuto until I was told recently, and then I was really surprised when I found two of them."

_'Oh, so you didn't even want to know if we existed?' _Raikou asked. _'That's great. That makes it much easier to destroy you!'_ Terri dodged yet another lightning bolt, but didn't see another rocket down from the sky, falling at her. She did notice it, however, as it exploded on contact with something that appeared in front of her, which cause her to turn in shock.

"Tsuki!" she yelled. "You protected me!" Tsuki nodded in response. _'Of course I did, Terri,'_ she smiled. _'We are destined to fight side by side, so why would I not aid you?'_ She then turned to Raikou. _'Sister, how dare you attack our master! Have you no shame?'_

Raikou sneered at her sister. _'Tsuki, come now, I would have thought you would have been agitated by the number of years we were locked up in our stone prisons,'_ she replied. _'All this time that Terri could've awakened us, and all she does it let out power out in tiny bursts. Why not release us outright? Why not aid us so that we can aid her? Because she couldn't is why – and therefore she isn't worthy of wielding us!'_

_'No, you're completely wrong, Raikou,'_ answered Tsuki. _'Terri is a loving, strong-willed girl who wouldn't turn her back on an ally – never. I believe that she has just never been taught how to do this until now. I believe that this is reason enough to forgive her – correct?'_

_'Wrong, sister!'_ Raikou answered, shooting another rain of lightning bolts down. Tsuki gestured, and the pools of water near each tree gathered together to form a large shield in front of her, blocking the lightning bolts. She then gestured again, and the water froze and sharpened into icicles, which she fired at Raikou.

Raikou swiftly flew out of their paths, then swooped down to meet her sister in a deadlock of claws. They struggled against each other, neither giving any leeway to the other. Tsuki turned to Terri, who was watching in awe.

_'Now, Terri,'_ she pleaded. _'Calm her down by attacking her! Knock her out!'_ Terri shook her head. "I can't Tsuki, I haven't got any sword on me," she answered, desperately thinking of something. "I can't help you."

_'Yes you can, Terri, you have kido to use,'_ Tsuki answered. _'Now, attack my sister to restrain her!'_ Terri nodded, understanding, and pointed her fingers at Raikou. "Alright, Hado 85, Kurotama no Tentou!" she yelled, the black ball sphere shooting out of her fingertips towards the deadlocked Raikou.

She attempted to move in a panic, but Tsuki held her in place, both getting hit by the explosion of the sphere on Raikou's body. They fell down to the ground with a large crash, upturning two or three trees as they did.

However, Raikou got up again, attempting to lunge forward to claw at Terri, but Tsuki stopped her, grabbing her sister's claws. _'Now, Terri!'_ she yelled. _'Use your Kurohitsugi! It's the only way to stop her!'_

Terri nodded and gestured with her hand. She reiterated the chant in her mind, then opened her eyes, focusing. "Hado 90, Kurohitsugi!" she yelled, the black box forming around the much larger Raikou no Ryu, the box growing until it could surround her.

Suddenly, black lances impaled the box, and just as quickly as it had appeared, the kido disappeared, leaving the cut-up form of Raikou to fall to the ground, unconscious. Terri suddenly felt weak, and fell forward. Her eyes started to close, and all she could hear before she fainted was _'Terri!'_...

* * *

Terri's eyes slowly opened, and she looked tentatively around, seeing the blue, sparkling cave in which she first saw Tsuki. She suddenly remembered where she was and sat up with a start.

She looked around properly, seeing no-one, not even an unconscious Raikou. "Um, hello?" she asked. "Where is everyone? Well, you two..." She was reassured as a soothing voice emanated from the pool at the bottom of the fountain.

_'Don't worry, Terri, I am here,'_ Tsuki spoke, filling Terri with a warm feeling. _'My sister is also down here, now fully awake. We shall come up now, stand back, please.'_

Terri did as she was told and stood back, as both dragons flew up into the rocky room. They spiralled around each other, forming a breathtaking contrast of aqua-blue to gold, before coming to a halt in midair, facing Terri.

Raikou cleared her throat. _'It appears I was wrong about you, Terri,' _she apologised._ 'I did not realise that you were so skilled as to defeat me in combat. Granted you had some aid...'_ With that, she looked to her side at her sister, before turning back. _'Still, I would be honoured to fight with you Terri, I thank you.'_

Tsuki then spoke up. _'Which now means that you can go home, we thank you Terri,'_ she smiled. _'And we will be glad to help you whenever you need us. Instead of saying just one of our names, say this: Tsuki to Raikou no Ryu, and we shall both aid you as your bankai.'_

Terri bowed in gratitude and then turned to leave. "Um..." she started. "I don't know how to get home..." Tsuki merely giggled, however. _'Come with me, Terri, I shall show you the way back.'_

Without warning, she grabbed Terri and threw her on her back before flying down to the pool at the bottom of the fountain. She landed next to it, and Terri dropped down to the pool.

_'Look in the water, Terri,'_ Tsuki hinted, so Terri did. She saw an image of the Squad 10 buildings with both Toshiro and Rangiku looking at her unconscious form, which still kneeled before the sword-stand.

"Thank you, Tsuki," Terri bowed. "I understand. Also, tell Raikou I'm looking forward to seeing her again." She smiled before walking to the image of Soul Society, quickly disappearing as she stepped on it.

* * *

Terri opened her eyes with a start, and Rangiku ran up to her quickly, bringing her close in an embrace. She felt for her pulse, and sighed in relief when she found it. She turned to Toshiro with a smile on her face.

"She's fine, captain," she said. "She has a pulse and she's completely conscious. About time too, since it has been about 6 days..." That sentence made Terri jump up in shock.

"What? 6 days?!" she asked, frantic. "I've been in that plane for 6 days?!" Toshiro nodded. "Yes, Terri," he answered. "You needed to stay in that plane until you sorted things out with your sword, so that you and it could work in perfect harmony."

Terri looked down at her sword – Tsuki to Raikou no Ryu – still in the stand, and smiled. 'Yeah, I think we're alright now,' she thought to herself.

"Alright then," Toshiro continued. "Let's go into the building. You'll need some rest, food and drink I'd expect. Then we can get onto combat practice for your bankai." He walked towards the nearest building and opened the door, stepping in, followed closely by Rangiku. Terri nodded and followed them, closing the door after her.

* * *

Kenji smirked as Genma entered the meeting room. Whilst it was a meeting room, the throne room was used for meetings more, so this room was more for private talks, much like this one.

Genma sat down opposite him and looked him dead in the eye. Kenji cleared his throat. "So, accepted my offer?" he asked. Genma was clearly deep in thought at this, and then nodded to Kenji.

"Yes, I accept," he replied. "I shall do as you wish but only if I get what you have promised." Kenji nodded in reply. "Of course, of course, I would never double-cross anyone that I trust."

"But remember, they are plotting to take me down after we invade and destroy Soul Society. They believe that I will be weaker, and so I will be easier to defeat, but they are wrong. Since you are now definitely on my side, they won't see it coming. You'll slay them all before they can all even take a breath of victory."

"Yes, but as I said, only if I get what you promised – more power, more wealth, I want Soul Society," Genma responded, slightly forceful. "After that, I'll kill anyone you want."

Kenji laughed coldly at this, whilst Genma merely looked on, amused at Kenji's overreaction. 'Little do you know that they already suspect me, Kenji,' Genma thought, inwardly sighing. 'They're obviously not as stupid as you think.'

* * *

"Alright, now activate your bankai and attack me!" Toshiro ordered, his own bankai active. Terri nodded and closed her eyes, holding her sword up. "Bankai, Tsuki to Raikou no Ryu!" she yelled, her sword sparkling gold and blue.

* * *

Jushiro was merely taking a stroll outside when he saw a large beam of gold and blue energy force itself through the sky. He took this as an immediate bad sign and rushed to where it came from.

* * *

Toshiro stood, shocked. The wall behind him was completely gone – obviously Terri didn't have full control of her bankai yet.

"Well, that was alright..." Toshiro trailed off, still in shock. Terri was slightly embarrassed. 'Raikou, you didn't have to put so much energy in...' she thought inwardly. Raikou's voice echoed back to her. _'What? I haven't released my energy for so long. You can't blame me.'_

Jushiro came running in, breathless, as he looked around the room for some reason for the disturbance. His eyes came to rest upon Terri, after which he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ah, I see..." he started. "Ms. Zakura's bankai, I believe. Isn't that correct, Toshiro?" he asked. Toshiro nodded, over his shock, and deactivated his own bankai.

"Yes," he responded. "And I think that Terri's training is finally over. Just in time too, the 2 months are almost over."

Terri looked at him in surprise. "What? I'm finished?" she asked. Toshiro nodded. "There's now nothing I can do for you that a good practice cannot," he answered. "You're back to Head-Captain Seiryoku's training now."

Terri inwardly sighed. 'Glad that's over,' she thought. 'And I can thank the two of you for that.' Tsuki's voice echoed. _'Yes, well, we're happy that you have found us now, Terri,'_ she soothed. Raikou however, was more energetic. _'Yeah! Let me at the next enemy! I'll cut them down!'_

'I'll be sure to give them to you Raikou,' Terri answered, smiling.

* * *

_Now it seems Terri's training has come to an end. Whilst her bankai is still difficult to control, she has it, and therefore the seireitei has a chance. On another note, I've been posting up on Wednesdays these last 2 weeks because I had a lot of free time, and because they were mainly to build on plot. Therefore, as of Saturday, it'll be back to once a week, as the action picks up._

_**Next chapter:** It's time. Kenji finally gets into contact with Soul Society once again, preparing his invasion. However, Kiyomi too has a plan, which seems to leave Kenji speechless. It's the beginning of the end, next time, in 'D-Day'._


	28. D Day

**Chapter 27 – D-Day**

It was a tense mood in Squad 1's main room, with all captains and lieutenants standing in silence. It was the end of the 2 months, and they were all lined up, ready to receive a message from Kenji.

Kiyomi sat on her seat at the head of the room, Terri and Chojiro on either side, deep in thought. 'If it comes down to it, will I have the guts to go through with it?' she thought, flinching slightly. 'Destroy myself to destroy my enemy. And will it all be worth it if he somehow survives?'

Her train of thought was interrupted by the ever-familiar voice of Kenji, echoing across the seireitei. _"Soul Society, it's me, Kenji Ito,"_ he laughed, which chilled Terri to the bone. _"I know I've been off-air for a while, but now I'm back for a reunion broadcast, with a whole new cast of presenters. We hope you'll enjoy our performance as we leave you lying in your own blood!"_

"What do you mean 'whole new cast of presenters', Kenji?" Raven asked, irritated that Kenji was taking this lightly.

_"Well, Captain Ruhodesu, I mean that we've had a script edit and someone isn't here anymore who was supposed to be,"_ he replied._ "But don't worry, as we've found suitable replacements in the forms of Kiseki Kiryu, Yukari Nosaka and Genma Fujima – Hueco Mundo's top three arrancar!"_

"So, Kenji," Kiyomi interrupted, putting a lot of venom on his name, "when are you going to invade, or are you going to gloat a while before doing so?" Kenji fell silent at this comment, but chuckled coldly.

_"Whatever, Kiyomi,"_ he replied, carefree. _"I don't care what you have to say about me. I'm not overconfident and you will lose today. You will all fail to match the combined force of my army." _He now sounded slightly irritated. _"I dare you to come here and take me on, Kiyomi! Come to Hueco Mundo and I'll personally separate you limb from limb!"_

Soifon smirked. "Sounds like he's rattled by our confidence now," she laughed, forcing a response out of Kenji immediately. _"Shut your mouth, Captain Soifon, before I shut it for you!"_ he yelled, which instead made Kenpachi and Raven smirk.

"It appears you're losing your cool, Kenji," Raven concluded, prompting Kenpachi to continue in the taunting. "Yeah, I mean you practically sound as if you're ready to blow, what's with you?"

Kenji was taken aback, but calmed himself. After a brief pause he continued. _"Just accept my offer, Kiyomi,"_ he continued. _"I want to kill you on my own home turf, so what do you say?"_

Kiyomi was silent for a while, but then raised her head and smirked. "Alright, Kenji, I'm in," she replied. "Although, I have one little addition to your offer – I want to bring my captains with me!" She quickly turned and nodded to Raven, who in turn looked outside to the hidden Zeo.

"Is the garganta open Zeo?" he asked. Zeo smirked in response. "Of course, captain," he answered. "It's been open for about 5 minutes now, it's not that difficult to open one." Raven nodded to him and then to Kiyomi, who smirked again.

"Face it, Kenji, we've out-planned you," she taunted. "You didn't see me planning to invade Hueco Mundo in the first place. You've been one step behind this whole time!"

Kenji didn't respond, so Kiyomi turned to the other captains. "Now, you all know what to do, correct?" she asked, to which they all nodded. "Good. Now, let good grace be with you all, as we deal with this threat once and for all!"

They all nodded and flash-stepped away, leaving the room completely empty except for Terri, Chojiro and Kiyomi, who turned to Terri with a serious look on her face. "Terri, we will leave shortly, but we need to be prepared first, let's go." Terri nodded in response and walked with her into the back room.

* * *

Kenji was seething. 'Did they just trick me?!' he asked himself. 'Were they planning this from the start?!' His 'army', as he called them, were stood behind him, lined up. Kiseki and Yukari were trying hard not to laugh at Kenji's embarrassment, whilst Ryo merely placed his head in his right hand, sighing.

"Kenji, what should we do?" Rei spoke up, snapping Kenji from his trance-like state. He quickly turned to her, glaring, but answered anyway. "We invade the seireitei before they can come to Hueco Mundo, obviously," he responded.

They didn't move. His anger started to build again. "Get going, idiots!" he screamed at them, forcing them to leave with haste. He then turned back to sit on his throne, but saw a hazy image there instead. His eyes were glued on the figure reclining on his throne, and his anger built up even more. "Who are you?" he asked. "Leave this room now, weakling!"

The figure merely chuckled, then stared deep into Kenji's eyes. "No," it said simply, sounding as if it was mocking him. It then started to laugh uncontrollably as Kenji lunged for its 'throat'.

It quickly disappeared, however, as Kenji grasped for it, and he fell forward onto his throne, hitting his head in the process. He jumped up quickly, alert to the presence around him.

"Matthew...?" he asked, bewildered. He looked down at the stone box that held Matthew's comatose body and shuddered slightly. 'How can you be back?' he asked himself. 'You're still unconscious, right? But, if that is so, how could you have...?'

* * *

Kaede and Rei landed on the paved ground of Soul Society, in a large open area next to a long building. The sun shone, but this did nothing to calm their hunt for soul reapers. They ran towards an exit that led to a long narrow path, and followed it to the left.

"What're we going to do here then?" Kaede asked her sister, intrigued. Rei merely laughed. "We're going to find some soul reapers to slaughter, of course," she answered. "We still haven't got our revenge yet, and this is the perfect time."

"But Kenji told us to find and kill the captains and lieutenants before they came to Hueco Mundo, right?" Kaede replied, slightly nervous. Rei shook her head. "We're doing our own thing, sis, and there's nothing Kenji can do about it!"

They slowed down and hushed as they heard some voices coming from a nearby room, the door being left ajar. There was a conversation being held in the room, with five male soul reapers sat around a circular table.

"Apparently, the captains are all going to Hueco Mundo to fight off the invasion force before it gets here," one said. This sparked up the interest of Kaede and Rei, and so they leaned against the wall for a better look and listen.

"Chris, don't be an idiot, that'd mean that Soul Society would be without any captains," another interjected. "They'd never do something as careless as that."

"I don't know," another replied. "What Simon says is true, Soul Society wouldn't be that careless, but they are leaving the lieutenants, right?" he asked. "I'm sure Lewis can back my point up here, can't you?"

The soul reaper called Lewis nodded. "Yeah, Craig, I completely agree," he answered."And if Haodong or Matthew were still here, they'd agree too." Craig nudged him, whispering "And Daniel?" but his comment was ignored by Lewis. "And anyway, if they just beat them in Hueco Mundo, there'd be little that we ourselves can fight."

"And there's the fatal flaw in your outlook on this," the last said, being silent and uninvolved until this point. "The captains and lieutenants are going, and they are going to strike those fiends down on sight. Whilst you have tunnel-vision for some fight of grandeur that you've dreamed of for years, Soul Society is doing something smart."

"Uh, yeah, thanks for the derogatory comments, Colin," Lewis replied, a little taken aback. "Just because you were promoted to 5th Seat of Squad 6 doesn't mean you're better than us. Squad 10 is a hard squad to gain importance in, just so you know."

He was interrupted, however, as Kaede and Rei stepped in, acting overly confident. "How're you boys today?" Rei asked, seductively. Simon smirked and stood up to welcome her, reaching around her back with his arm, but was stabbed swiftly with her sword.

He fell to the floor and bled profusely before the other four could do anything. "And now, what were you saying about Soul Society's plans?" Rei continued, acting sweet.

Chris gritted his teeth. "You bitch!" he yelled, swinging his sword at her, but missed, being sliced across the throat by Rei's blade before collapsing on the floor next to Simon. Craig attacked next, swinging his sword, but Rei was too quick, and Kaede stabbed him this time, deep into his chest, before he too collapsed.

Lewis looked over to Colin, and both nodded to each other. Lewis drew his sword and raised it. "Destroy, Kuroshingari!" he yelled, his sword extending into two anchors tied by a chain, which he then paraded with before slamming it down at Rei.

Rei dodged, and used sonido to quickly move behind him, stabbing him in the back and out through his chest. Blood spurted from the wound, and he slumped to the floor, dead. Colin growled in anger. "Smother, Kurosoeki!" he yelled, his sword dissolving into a black cloud and surrounding Rei's head.

She struggled for breath as it closed in around her, and Colin smirked triumphantly. His smile faded, however, as he felt a wave of pain and glanced down to his neck, where Kaede's blade had pierced through. His eyes rolled back into his head and he too dropped down dead.

Rei stood up slowly, her hand pressed on her chest, attempting to rid her lungs of the black smoke. "Well," she admitted, "that caught me off-guard." She was interrupted by a scuffle behind them, and turned to see both Raven and Crystal staring at them.

"I thought I felt your presence, so I brought Crystal here with me to take you out for good," Raven explained. "We were going to meet Zeo to take us to Hueco Mundo, but I'm sure Captain Seiryoku wouldn't mind if we took some time to finish you two off first."

Kaede thought quick, then turned to the wall and placed her palm on it. A large garganta opened up on it, attempting to pull them all in. "You'll have to catch us first!" she yelled, grabbing Rei and running through it, leaving Raven and Crystal behind, surprised.

Crystal glanced at Raven. "We following them?" she asked. Raven nodded. "Do you really need to ask?" he replied, smirking. They followed through, into Hueco Mundo, leaving the still-bleeding corpses on the floor.

* * *

Kenpachi stopped in his tracks as the garganta opened up in front of him, and the form of Maya jumped out. She looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. She then smiled.

"Hey, Maya was just going to look for you!" she cheered, grabbing hold of Kenpachi's wrist. "Come with Maya, we'll fight in Hueco Mundo!" Kenpachi, at first, fought against her, but after hearing that sentence, smirked.

"You've got yourself a deal, kid," he chuckled, following her through the garganta, it disappearing behind them.

* * *

"Alright, I've got the garganta open, I just need two of you through at a time or it'll overload and close in," Zeo explained, as the captains and lieutenants lined up. "Head-Captain, if you would," he gestured the garganta to Kiyomi, who nodded. Along with Terri, she stepped forward and through the portal and through to Hueco Mundo.

"And now the rest of you," Zeo continued, gesturing to the others, who did as he said. Mayuri and Nemu were next, followed by Toshiro and Sajin, then Soifon and Byakuya. Just as Rangiku and Renji were about to pass through, the garganta fluctuated, shrinking down to the size of a pea.

"What the hell?" Renji yelled in surprise, backing off. Zeo strained to keep it open. "I don't know what's happening!" he admitted. "This has never happened before!"

Rangiku started to sweat. "Well, hurry up, Zeo," she ordered. "Our captains have gone through there, and they have no backup!"

* * *

Ryo stepped through the double doors of the throne room, kneeling at Kenji's feet as he got to the throne. "My lord, I have done as you have wished," he started. "I randomised their exits from the garganta and I have overloaded its energy levels, so that only the ones that are now through can even think of stopping us."

Kenji smirked. "Excellent, Ryo, excellent," he replied, sighing. Ryo nodded and stood up to leave, but Kenji stopped him before he could. "Ryo, before Matthew came to an end, he didn't say anything about a power with which he could come back from the dead, did he?"

Ryo was confused, but replied anyway. "Apart from the one we know about, no sir," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

Kenji quickly felt threatened, and his anger built up again. "No reason, Ryo, now get going! This is an important day in our history!" Ryo nodded and bowed before leaving. 'Damn Matthew, you have some other power,' he thought to himself. 'And you're using it on me now. But what is it...?'

* * *

Mayuri landed on the sands with Nemu beside him. He looked around, seeing nothing but sand in every direction, except that in one direction, a large castle of stone had been erected.

"Ah, that must be Kenji's residence, I presume," Mayuri thought out aloud. He was answered by a cold cackle behind him. "You'd be correct in thinking that, Kurotsuchi," Kiseki answered, walking towards them.

"And who might you be?" Mayuri asked, obviously not impressed. "I don't recognise you, so you must be one of Kenji's new 'cast members', am I right? I don't know, I'd guess you were Kiryu, not Fujima."

"Right on the money," Kiseki replied. "I am Kiseki Kiryu, Kenji's Cuarto Cabellero, Quinto if you count the ex-Primera Cabellero: Matthew Richardson."

"Ah, so the reptilian arrancar is no more," Mayuri answered, intrigued. "This is interesting; I would like to know how he was put away with. Many attempts by our own soul reapers ended in failure, but somehow he was put away with by our enemy."

"Wait, I never said that!" Kiseki answered, surprised. "I know, arrancar," Mayuri replied. "I took an educated guess, and I'm guessing that Kenji lost his patience with the fool, putting him into some sort of semi-consciousness, albeit paralyzed, and so unable to move but able to feel everything, am I correct?

"Close enough, Kurotsuchi," Kiseki replied, growling. "And yes, I already know you, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of Squad 12 and Head of Research and Development. The best way to defeat your opponent is to research them beforehand, so you will know what to do when you come to fight them, do you not agree?"

Mayuri sneered. "Your research is most likely amateur garbage, and nothing more," he said, flatly. "My research, on the other hand, is second to none and the sole reason why we are winning this war."

"Awfully big-headed, are you not?" Kiseki answered, smirking. Mayuri merely shrugged. "Ah well, even if you do die, at least I'll get a free experimental subject, won't I Nemu?" Nemu nodded silently in response and Mayuri started to chuckle wildly.

* * *

"Huh," Toshiro muttered as he and Sajin entered Hueco Mundo. "It looks like we've been separated from the others, Sajin." Sajin nodded in reply. "It does seem that way," he replied. "Kenji obviously had a Plan B, then."

"I wouldn't say that," a deep voice from their left spoke up. They turned to see a large figure walking up to them. "I apologise," it spoke, its form becoming visible now. "I am Genma Fujima, Kenji's Segundo Cabellero, and I am here to meet and eliminate you from existence."

* * *

Soifon and Byakuya stepped through the garganta into the strong winds of Hueco Mundo. "Well, I see that Kenji has separated us from the rest of the captains," Byakuya noted, and Soifon nodded. "Yeah, maybe he was calmer than I thought, to think of a backup plan that quickly," she admitted.

"Still, we should now travel towards that castle over there," Byakuya gestured to Kenji's castle, which stood out amongst the flat, sandy plains. "Unfortunately, however, you will not be able to travel there, because I will stop you," a voice echoed from the castle.

A figure started walking towards them from the castle, fading in from the horizon. It was Ryo, sword at the ready and blocking their path. "Byakuya, Soifon, you two will be my next victims," he threatened, raising his sword to them.

"And you are?" Byakuya asked. Ryo sighed and glared at them. "I am Kenji's Primera Cabellero, Ryo Sakai, the replacement for my former lord, the ex-Primera Cabellero Matthew Richardson."

"Ah, so you know that arrancar?" Soifon asked, angrily. "Tell me where he is so that I can destroy him for what he's done!" Ryo yet again sighed. "I cannot, since he is not of this world anymore," he answered. "Although, I am the next best thing, so take it out on me."

Soifon smirked. "Oh, I will, gladly," she said, words full of venom. She went to attack him but was interrupted by the arrival of a new arrancar, who used sonido to intercept her lunge.

"Not so fast, girlfriend," Yukari smirked, her and Soifon's swords in a deadlock. "I am Yukari Nosaka, Tercio Cabellero of Kenji's army, and you are not getting to my darling Ryo, not while I'm around."

"Huh, so you're the stand-in for the stand-in then?" Soifon asked. Yukari nodded confidently. "Alright then, you're mine Nosaka, like it or not!"

Ryo laughed softly. "And that means that you have me to yourself, Kuchiki," he said. "Congratulations, you can be the first captain to fall to my power."

* * *

Raven and Crystal appeared in a large circular room made of stone, one exit at the opposite side of the room to where they were presently. Kaede and Rei were nowhere to be found.

"Come out now, visoreds!" Crystal yelled. As if to answer her, both Kaede and Rei stepped out from the exit at the other side of the room, their wardrobe having changed again. They now wore a normal white arrancar uniform, with black trimmings, and vice versa when looking at Rei – black with white trimmings.

"Now we can come and play," Rei smirked. "And we've been waiting to play with you again, Raven." Crystal started to get angry, but Raven calmed her.

"You have murdered soul reapers in cold blood, visoreds," Raven said, flatly. Rei and Kaede looked at him expectedly. "So?" Rei asked. "We got our revenge finally! Those soul reapers deserved it!"

"No, you see," Raven replied. "Now I have no reason to hold back on you. I can now kill you with no regrets at all!"

* * *

Kiyomi and Terri stepped through to the throne room to see Kenji sitting on his throne, looking down at them. Kiyomi sighed.

"How egotistical can you get Kenji?" she asked, irritated. "Just come down and accept your future – death." Kenji merely smirked and started to laugh at her comment.

"I think not, Kiyomi, and do you know why?" he asked. "It's because you two don't know what you're getting into! My power is at its highest potential now, and you two will see firsthand how strong I have become!"

* * *

_And so the battles are set, all we're waiting for is for the conclusions. Be ready for plot twists and new abilities, even a surprise or two. Also, you should be able to recognize the group of soul reapers who debuted in this chapter (and subsequently met their ends in it) as being from 'One Thousand Pieces'. I told you some of those OCs would be in this._

_**Next chapter:** First of all, it's Mayuri Kurotsuchi vs Kiseki Kiryu. We finally get to see Kiseki's hidden powers, and we get to see what happens when science battles the belief in destiny. All this occurs in a chapter called 'Sandstorm!', next week._


	29. Sandstorm!

**Chapter 28 – Sandstorm!**

Mayuri continued to cackle as Kiseki merely looked on, slightly humoured at him. Mayuri gradually calmed down, but still held a wide grin. "So, arrancar," he asked, "what way should I experiment on you first?"

Kiseki flinched. "What the hell are you talking about, freak?" he retorted, suddenly spooked. Mayuri grinned wider. "I'm saying that I think you'd make an interesting test subject, and I'm deciding which way to examine you first – maybe a dissection or a test to see how good your immunity to toxins is?"

He then raised his sword and laughed again. "Well then, why don't I go for broke and see what I come up with?" He cackled before adding "Claw out, Ashisogi Jizo!" His sword shone and changed shape, slithering outwards. It finally stopped, forming his deformed trident, and he swung it to his side.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this, Nemu," he added, Nemu nodding in response. Kiseki viewed this and then laughed slightly. "You call that a shikai?" he asked, in disbelief. "That's a pathetic excuse for a shikai! It doesn't even look like it could cut a fly!"

He recovered his cool quickly and sighed. "Oh well, it looks like this won't be a challenge at all if your shikai is like that," he taunted, grabbing the large cleaver from his back. He swung it forward in front of him and smirked. "This'll only take a second then..."

He disappeared swiftly, before Mayuri could even recognise he had disappeared. Just as swiftly, Mayuri felt a sharp pain in his back and he fell to his knees on the sand, panting. He strained to look up, seeing Kiseki smirking at his hunched form.

"And that was a little taste of what fun I'll be having soon," he gloated. "You see, I happen to have the fastest sonido of all current and past arrancar. That fool Zommari Leroux was quick, sure, but he didn't back that speed up with power, which is exactly what I have done. I have traded in regeneration and hierro abilities for sonido and strength."

Silence overcame the desert, until Mayuri started chuckling as he stood up. "Interesting indeed," he said to himself, picking himself up. "You are a fast one, aren't you? That will be no problem then. I'll destroy you even if you are lightning-fast."

Mayuri sneered and then flash-stepped behind Kiseki, slicing at him, but missing as Kiseki back-flipped over Mayuri's head and stabbed forward with his cleaver, skewering Mayuri in the side, blood spurting from the wound.

Kiseki reappeared a few feet in front of Mayuri yet again, smirking down at him. "What was that just then?" he taunted. "Big talk coming from a pathetic fool, isn't it?" Mayuri merely laughed in response. "Come now, you think this is all I can do? Don't be foolish!"

He quickly flash-stepped again and appeared behind Kiseki, stabbing forward. Kiseki saw it coming straight away and side-stepped, responding with a stab of his own which connected with flesh. As Kiseki looked up to see what he had skewered, he didn't see Mayuri, instead Nemu had taken the hit.

Mayuri took his chance at Kiseki's surprise and sliced at his chest, which connected and sent him flying to the ground, getting half-buried in the sand. Kiseki yelled out in pain and attempted to grab his chest, but couldn't.

"What?!" he asked in shock, "Why can't I move my arms?!" Mayuri laughed in response. "Interesting," he said, ignoring him. "It seems that your immune system is quite weak, along with your skin. You see, my shikai blade holds a toxin that can paralyse you completely – the only thing is, it has to enter your bloodstream." Kiseki snarled as he strained to move.

"And that's not the best part!" Mayuri added, elated. "Now unlike normal paralysis, in which you cannot feel pain, in this type you can, as it does not deaden the pain receptors in your nervous system. You'll be writhing in pain and you'll be unable to stop me from killing you!"

Kiseki growled and continued to strain against the paralysis and pain he was under. "Well, why did your lieutenant block for you? I'm sure that's a lethal wound!" he continued, trying to buy time.

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but Nemu here is my finest creation," Mayuri started to explain. "A combination of both artificial soul and artificial body technology, she is the perfect soldier. She won't be put down by your pathetic attacks."

Kiseki snarled and again strained. He could feel his body starting to completely freeze, and he took one last-ditch attempt. He managed to inch his index finger out to his cleaver, barely touching the hilt. He then smirked wide.

"You've had it now, Kurotsuchi!" he yelled, eyes glaring at him. "I now perform my resurrection! Bury the weak, Escorpión de la Duna!" His smile grew wider as his sword, and he, dissolved into sand. The sand was swept up by a sudden surge of wind, creating a tornado where he used to be, then calming down and reforming into Kiseki himself.

Now Kiseki was different. His uniform was the same, but he now had a large scorpion-like tail growing from his back, hanging over his head. His mask now reached lower down his face, finishing as spikes pointing sideways at his eyes and mouth. He still had his cleaver, which was leaning on his shoulder, and small grains of sand were falling from his body.

"How do you like this?" he laughed coldly. "This is my resurrection, and your worst nightmare! Not only does it increase my abilities, but it increases my sonido speed!" He quickly disappeared, before reappearing again in the same spot. Suddenly, Mayuri's back erupted with blood and he toppled forwards, face-first onto the sand.

Kiseki licked his lips and readied his cleaver, targeting Mayuri's spine. He thrust it down, sliding straight through, blood pulsing out in waves. Mayuri let out a weak moan as the pain encased his body before becoming silent. Kiseki smirked and walked away, happy with his job.

* * *

"Come on, Zeo!" Renji yelled, snarling. "Open this damn garganta up, will you?!" Zeo was sweating, the strain of keeping the garganta open too much for him. "Yeah, Renji, look," he answered, annoyed. "If I wanted your opinion, I'd have asked for it, alright?"

Renji snarled again. "What did you just say?!" he yelled. "I'm a superior officer! You'll address me as Lieutenant Abarai!" Zeo sighed. "Well, if you want to get through, yelling at me isn't going to help," he answered flatly. "I'm pretty much the only one who can open this thing, and you're being disrespectful to me? You'd better hope I forgive you soon..."

"You'd both better get your acts together!" Rangiku interrupted. "I'm sensing that we're not alone here!" She was correct, as behind them all, a larger garganta had opened and numerous hollows and weak arrancar were stepping out.

The leader arrancar looked at the three, along with Shuhei, Naomi and Rukia who were with them, and smirked. "Ah, so you must be lieutenants then!" it sneered, its voice sounding distorted. "Seems like Ryo's plan worked! He disrupted the garganta so none of them could come in!"

Zeo's eyes widened. "Who did what?" he asked in disbelief. "If anyone has had outside interference with it, then it'd take a couple of hours before I can fully open this damn thing!"

Renji smirked. "Well, if that's the case, I think that we should fight back these guys while we're here!" he roared, raising his sword. Shuhei nodded and did the same, followed by Rangiku and Rukia. Naomi turned to Zeo. "You keep trying to open that thing, alright sweetie?" she ordered, quietly. Zeo nodded and turned back to the garganta, whilst Naomi drew her own sword and looked at the swarm of hollows and arrancar in front of them.

* * *

"I can't believe that a captain could have been that weak!" Kiseki gloated as he walked away from Mayuri's fallen form. He started to laugh uncontrollably with arrogance, but was interrupted as he heard a noise emanating behind him.

He quickly turned around to see Mayuri picking himself up. His eyes widened. "How the hell?!" he gasped. "There's no way you can still be alive! I severed your spinal cord! You should be paralysed!"

Mayuri chuckled as he stood up. "Clever..." he muttered. "By disintegrating yourself into grains of sand and then recombining, you got rid of the paralysing effect..." He then turned around to Kiseki and cracked his neck. "And to answer your question, I have already transplanted and integrated two more spinal cords into my nervous system, just in case something like this ever happened. You severed one, but I have another two, so I can still move."

Kiseki stood still and in complete shock. "You... what?!" he yelled in disgust. "That's sick, you freak! I mean, who does that?" Mayuri chuckled yet again. "Well, when you lack experimental subjects, the next best bet is experimenting on yourself," he explained. "The results only come to fruition during battle, and I can witness them firsthand, so it is a fine way to conduct a fair test."

"Anyway..." he continued, reaching down to pick his shikai up. "It doesn't even matter that you've pierced some of my organs, as I have replaced them with fully working mechanical versions already. They'll still work even after you cut into them, just not as well as they should. You'll also be interested to know that they have an artificial blood-clotting fluid hidden inside them too, so my wounds are now fully healed!"

He then chuckled. "And you thought you could kill me? Such language is a mockery of my status!" He ran forward, stabbing at Kiseki, who fell to the desert as sand and reformed behind Mayuri, stabbing forward himself. He pierced through Mayuri's back, but was taken aback as Mayuri merely turned around and slashed at him, none the worse for wear.

'Damn!' he thought to himself, dodging the slash, 'How am I going to kill this guy?!' He dodged another slash from Mayuri's blade, but was surprised as a small sickle scratched at his arm, forming a deep gouge.

He followed the sickle with his eyes, and noticed it came from Mayuri's ear-cover, a chain emanating from deep within. Mayuri chuckled once again. "What do you think? An extra weapon for a particularly difficult opponent, or just to catch them off-guard," he laughed, swinging it again.

Kiseki again dodged the attack, separating and reforming behind Mayuri once again, but Mayuri was ready this time. He span around quickly, the sickle following him and wrapping around Kiseki's arms.

Mayuri smirked and stabbed forward, but Kiseki merely closed his eyes. Suddenly, two more arms shot out of Kiseki's torso, each wielding their own cleaver, and pushed Mayuri back a few feet.

"How's this? I've one-upped you!" Kiseki glared. "I can grow an extra four arms to do as I please, to make a total of eight limbs. You see, last time I looked, scorpions were arachnids. Very similar to former 5th Espada Nnoitra Jiruga's ability, but with one downside – I can't re-grow these, once they're gone, they're gone."

Mayuri thought this information over and chuckled. "Interesting, I wonder if you'll put them to good use or not..." he muttered, ominously. He then looked over to the fallen form of Nemu and sighed.

"Nemu, when you're well and ready, get up and actually do your duties for once, will you?" he yelled, darkly. Nemu started to pick herself up after his voice echoed to her, and she stood up, slightly disorientated.

"Yes, captain," she said, humbled. Mayuri then turned back to Kiseki. "And now, your demise is imminent!" he laughed, raising his sword yet again.

* * *

"Growl, Haineko!" Rangiku yelled, her sword turning to ash and cutting through a line of hollows, who all dissolved into grains of darkness. On her right, Rukia span her sword around, the ribbon trailing behind it. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" she yelled, a large circle of ice encircling the hollows before her. Then suddenly, the ice shot out from the ground, freezing everything in its path.

Shuhei took this chance and jumped in, delivering a swift kick to the pillar of ice, shattering the hollows residing in it into pieces. He landed and turned to see the arrancar leader attack him with his sword. Shuhei dodged swiftly and counterattacked with his own sword, making a deep cut on the arrancar's shoulder.

The arrancar growled in anger but was taken aback as Zabimaru swooped in and sliced him across his chest, forcing him to the ground, bleeding. "How dare you!" he spat, trying to get up. "I'll have you know that I am the greatest arrancar in Master Kiryu's forces!"

"Yeah, I'm sure that he'll be real proud of you when he sees you dead!" Naomi answered, swinging her bardiche at the arrancar's throat, forcing him back again. She then raised her bardiche up and it powered up. "You relay this message to your master," she continued, "that Soul Society is far from being defeated!" She swung her bardiche down and a large beam of energy erupted from it, engulfing and dissolving the arrancar into nothing.

Renji turned back to his opponents, three other arrancar, and smirked. "Alright then, let's get this over with, weaklings!" he yelled over to them, and they nodded to each other, using sonido to get into an advantageous formation. Renji smirked again. "Come on, I'm not an idiot, I know what you're doing!" he laughed, swinging his sword around to attack them.

He hit two in a row, both falling back to the ground in pain, but hesitated when he saw the third had disappeared. "Where the hell?!" he yelled, confused. He looked around anxiously, but saw nothing, until a large shadow blocked out the light from above.

He looked up to see the arrancar falling from the sky, sword at the ready. Renji tried to move, but he was rooted in the spot. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wave of energy crashed into the arrancar and forced it to the ground metres away from Renji, who looked on surprised.

He looked back to see Zeo, with Shikyotenshi released, glaring at the fallen arrancar. "Idiot..." he muttered. "Giving my people a bad name, aren't you? And you call yourself an arrancar? You're nothing but a mockery!"

He then turned to Renji, who was still in shock. "Seems like you owe me an apology, at the least, Lieutenant Abarai," he said, emphasis on 'lieutenant', which Renji growled at.

* * *

"Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!" Mayuri laughed, as his sword reverted to normal. However, behind him, in a blast of purple mist, a large caterpillar rose up from the shadows, screaming an unearthly scream. Its head was instead a golden and baby-like, with a silver halo atop that. The very sight made Kiseki repulsed.

"What the hell is that?!" he asked, trying hard not to gag. "That thing is hideous!" Mayuri just laughed however. "Come now, it won't like you saying that," he joked. "You'll hurt its feelings!"

He then raised his sword and gestured forward, the caterpillar following his orders and lunging forward, the spikes on its underbelly stiffening. It growled as it got close to Kiseki, but he merely smirked and separated into grains of sand, reforming only when the caterpillar had missed and passed.

"You can't touch me, remember?" Kiseki taunted. "You may be invulnerable, but I can't be touched, so you'll eventually run out of tricks, and I'll win – it is destiny. I will win, and you will lose."

"Or so you think..." Mayuri added, cryptically. Kiseki questioned this, but turned to see the caterpillar running back for him, now a few feet behind him. "What the...?" he cursed, jumping to avoid it, back-flipping to completely dodge its attack.

The caterpillar finally arrived back at Mayuri's side, and Mayuri laughed slightly. "I see..." he mumbled. "I see that you cannot separate into sand grains when you are in a high-pressure situation or when you have little time to focus your energies on it..."

"This will work to my advantage..." he added, taking an object from under his haori. "Nemu, take this and don't use it until I say, understand?" he ordered, throwing it to Nemu, who caught it effortlessly. She nodded in response, and Mayuri faced Kiseki again.

"Alright, let's continue, shall we?" he cackled, gesturing for Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo to attack again. Kiseki smirked and separated into sand grains before reforming next to Mayuri. He then grew his other pair of arms swiftly, slashing at Mayuri with all six of his newly formed cleavers.

He sliced in an X-formation, cutting into and removing part of Mayuri's torso, it falling to the ground and blood pouring furiously out of his wound. Mayuri kneeled down in pain, and then looked over to Nemu, who just stood there, motionless.

"Now, Nemu," he said, strained. "Now is the time, use the weapon." Nemu nodded knowingly and flipped forward, landing just behind Kiseki, who growled in retaliation, his tail moving and stabbing Nemu through the chest.

"I must do this, I apologise," Nemu whispered to Kiseki, whose eyes widened with shock. Nemu forced herself forward on Kiseki's tail, her wound growing larger, and placed the object Mayuri handed her on Kiseki's back.

Kiseki suddenly fell to the ground, his tail leaving Nemu's chest, allowing her to fall to the ground, close to death. Kiseki grabbed at his back, but couldn't reach anything, as the object had buried itself in his body.

Mayuri stood up, cackling. "Well," he said, still in pain, "it seems my plan has worked to perfection. That object was a specially created biological weapon, made to bond to anyone's DNA and hydrate their cells. Now in a normal being, this would just make their cells swell and burst, but in you it's different. You see, in you your cells will become lodged with water, preventing you from dissolving into sand like you do."

Kiseki looked at him, not believing. "No way, freak," he denied. "You're lying! There's no way that could be true! You're bluffing!" Mayuri just smiled. "Why don't you test it and see? Oh, I know, try and dodge that!"

He pointed to his bankai, which was now charging at Kiseki again, determination in its eyes. It roared as it got closer, and Kiseki smirked. "Come on, there's no way it'll work this time!" he mocked. He tried to separate, but nothing happened.

Kiseki started to sweat. 'Is what the freak said true?' he thought. 'I can't separate now? Then I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way.' He attempted to jump to dodge, but couldn't. He strained to use sonido to move, but couldn't.

"What?!" he yelled in desperation. "What have you done to me?!" He looked at Mayuri with venom in his eyes, but Mayuri turned away, disinterested. "Well, you see," he started to explain. "The water is still seeping into your cells. Because you won't blow up like normal people, it will keep on draining into you, making you heavier and heavier, relieving you of your ability to use sonido, or jump, or even move. You're now a sitting duck for my final attack!"

He turned to his bankai and smiled wide. "Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo, charge and kill this fool!" His bankai roared in agreement and charged faster, its spikes stiff and sharp. It ran through Kiseki, who screamed in pain as the spikes jutted through his body. Blood spurted from his multiple wounds, his body unable to stop them.

"How?" he gasped. "How could this be? My impenetrable defence mechanism, my incredible speed, both gone..." He fell to the sands and tried to grab onto Mayuri's leg. "How did you know what to do?" he asked. "I want to know..."

Mayuri looked at him, displeased. "You are a damaged product, why should I waste my time telling you?" Kiseki sighed, then gasped before he crumbled into damp piles of sand, his last breath leaving his lungs.

Mayuri sighed to himself. "Unfortunate, that an impressive specimen like yourself should die so suddenly," he said, expressionless. "I didn't even get to try out any other experiments on you. Such a wasted effort."

He walked away from Kiseki's crumbled remains. "Nemu, get up now," he moaned. "Your pathetic 'playing dead' routine is starting to annoy me." Nemu quickly stood up and bowed. "I apologise, master."

"Good, well," he answered, smiling. "Now we're going for Kenji, and mark my words, he's going to be surprised at what happens next." His smile turned into a psychotic laugh which echoed throughout the sands of Hueco Mundo.

* * *

_And the first battle between Soul Society and Kenji's army has come to an end, with what seems like a good victory for Soul Society, but will it last? And will the lieutenants get to their captains before something befalls them? Only time will tell._

_**Next chapter:** Toshiro and Sajin face down the Segunda Caballero, Genma Fujima, who whilst seeming weak and frail, hides powers they couldn't imagine. Will they even survive his earth-shattering power? Find out in 'Force Of The Earth'._


	30. Force Of The Earth

**Chapter 29 – Force Of The Earth**

Genma sighed before taking a stance against Sajin and Toshiro, who nodded to each other and drew their swords. Sajin snarled at Genma, then glanced to his side to Toshiro. "So, who takes him on?" he asked. Toshiro glared at Genma, then glanced back at Sajin.

"No idea," he answered. "I wouldn't want to stand in your way, Captain Komamura." Sajin smirked slightly, but shook his head. "No please, you take him, if you do so wish," he answered. "I shall stay as backup if you need it."

Toshiro nodded and flash-stepped forward, sword slamming down on Genma, who only raised his arm for protection. The sword dug into his skin, but he didn't move. Toshiro's eyes widened and he jumped back in surprise.

"What the hell?" he gasped. "You can't be so strong as to not be affected by my blade, can you?" Genma shook his head. "You have it all wrong," he said. "I am of normal arrancar strength, amongst Kenji's forces, but my hierro is much stronger than – I believe – all other hierros."

"No way," Toshiro whispered to himself. "Then this is going to be quite the uphill struggle, unless I finish it quick." He raised his sword and swung it to his side. "Reign over the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!" he yelled, his sword sprouting the familiar sickle at the end of the chain.

"Now feel the bitter sting of the cold!" he yelled, jumping into the air, above of Genma. "Go Hyorinmaru!" As he held his sword in place, the ice dragon flew out of his sword and dove headfirst into Genma, who merely blocked with his palm.

"I've already told you," he said sternly. "I cannot be harmed by your superficial attacks. Please just give up if this is your best shot." Toshiro growled and gestured, the ice dragon retreating to circle around Genma's form. It then flew back into Genma, who again met it with a palm, stopping it dead.

"Let me aid you, Toshiro!" Sajin roared, running out to help him. "Roar, Tenken!" he snarled, slicing sideways. A giant arm appeared behind him and imitated him, with its own giant sword, and caught Genma in the side, knocking him to the sands. Sand flew up into the air as he landed, and Sajin rushed to Toshiro's side, as Hyorinmaru returned to its sword.

Genma stood up and dusted himself off slowly. "Not bad," he complimented. "It's rare that people can knock me down. You may not be that disappointing of a fight then." He then inhaled deeply and exhaled, tensing his muscles up. They grew quite surprisingly larger, and tore through his uniform. Part of his mask started to crack as he did this, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Now I shall attack you," he smiled. "And I shall use all of my current strength for this punch!" He ran forward, albeit slower than Toshiro and Sajin expected, and threw a punch to Toshiro, who dodged swiftly. He didn't expect Genma to use sonido, however, and was punched sharply in the side, knocking him to the ground.

Sajin looked to him, and saw that he was coughing up blood. He then looked in shock to Genma, who was landing on the sand. "How can your attack be this powerful?!" he asked, confused.

Genma merely turned to him and shrugged. "I did say that my strength was of normal quantity, but I have powered myself up, you see," he explained. "I have a limitless amount of power at my disposal, but I keep it locked up by this mask on my head. You see, this is not my mask. This is from an arrancar I once killed, who could absorb spiritual energy, and so I took it and wore it as a limiter for myself."

Sajin growled. "And why would you do this?" he asked, still confused. Genma chuckled slightly. "Well, I wanted a challenge, didn't I?" he replied, humoured. "If I fought at lower power, I would have to work harder to destroy my enemies. And it does have the benefit of giving me extra power at my lower power levels."

Toshiro had now stood up, and wiped his mouth of blood. "I wish you'd have told me that before I attacked," he muttered. "That would've been good information to have." Genma chuckled at Toshiro's response and then raised his fist.

"Ah, you kids remind me of the good old days," he smiled. "Full of life, the both of you. I remember when Aizen started to round up hollows and arrancar for his army. My brethren were enveloped with awe at how a mere soul reaper could create pure arrancar, bypassing the struggle and time needed for such a thing. My brethren were so full of life going into war with him, and yet they all fell to your people. This is why I must kill you, not for anything Kenji says."

"I see," Sajin replied, knowingly. "I feel your pain arrancar, but you need not do this. Kenji is using your pain to turn you against us, we could aid you. We have an arrancar in our own ranks."

"Ah yes," Genma said instantly. "Zeo Oseomartir, am I correct? He used to be part of a friend's clan, before that friend went off to Aizen. I heard he was taken in by your lot." The words 'your lot' were said with venom, which made Sajin flinch slightly.

"Anyway, this is diverting from our actual reasons for being here," Genma sighed. "I should be slaying you two." He used sonido to appear behind Sajin and struck him in the back, forcing him to the desert on his knees.

Toshiro looked on, in shock at Genma's sudden burst of speed. Genma was panting quite heavily, and so Toshiro took his chance. He raised his sword and narrowed his eyes. "Go Hyorinmaru!" he yelled, the ice dragon flying from his sword and striking Genma in the side – the same side that Tenken had struck him.

Genma collapsed under the pain, and was hurled away into the desert, Toshiro following. Sajin caught his breath and stood up to follow after them, still panting. "How did you get through that hierro, Toshiro?" he asked after catching up.

"Once he used sonido, he was panting quite heavily," he explained. "I took this as the fact that he is too old, and so hasn't got the stamina to keep sonido up. That's why he does it in short bursts."

"Ah, I see," Sajin nodded. "Well, when he gets up again, maybe we can use that weakness to our advantage." They reached where Genma had fallen, to see that he was already up, though wheezing slightly. "You came," he chuckled. "I almost thought you'd run off scared. Anyway, let's get this over with," he continued, raising his fist, his mask cracking under the strain.

* * *

Zeo was back at the garganta, straining as it struggled to open. "To hell with this!" he yelled. "Come on you damn portal, open up!" He was focusing solely on the garganta, and so didn't notice as Renji finished up on the last arrancar.

"Come on, Zeo," Rangiku pleaded. "Captain Hitsugaya is in Hueco Mundo facing off against who-knows-what, with his only backup being Captain Komamura, who is still weak from his years spent in that negacion."

"I know, I know," Zeo retorted. "I'm trying as hard as I can. This thing has been messed with, I can't keep it up for long, and that's if I even get it open." Naomi stepped up beside him. "You can do it, Zeo," she whispered. "I believe in you."

"Whilst that is reassuring, I don't think some strong positive words will do anything here," he answered, softly. "Well, how about a little help from us, Zeo?" came a voice behind him. He turned to see both Retsu and Isane arriving at their location, looking at the dead hollows and arrancar surrounding them.

"Hmm, what happened here, can I ask?" Retsu continued. Rangiku nodded and stood to attention. "As the other captains were going through the garganta, it started to go out of control, and it closed in on us," she explained. "Then we looked around and a force of hollows and arrancar had appeared behind us to take us out. We disposed of them post haste."

"I'm glad to hear that, Rangiku," she Retsu answered, politely. "Now, Isane, can you please assist Zeo with opening that garganta? He seems to be troubled." Isane nodded and walked over to Zeo, who stood confused.

"You know how to work these things?" he asked. She smiled and nodded in response. "Of course, we've had practice, having to come and go to different places to heal," she answered. "Sometimes, garganta are quicker than other methods of transport."

Zeo nodded. "Alright then," he smirked. "Renji! I may be able to get you to the fighting after all! How does that sound?" Renji smirked too. "That sounds good, Zeo, but make it quick will you?" he answered, annoyed Zeo called him 'Renji' again.

* * *

Genma yet again ran at the two, fist raised. Toshiro flash-stepped away, whilst Sajin met it with an interjection from Tenken, stopping Genma in his steps. "Not bad for a soul reaper," Genma complimented. "Although how does it shape up against my extra power?" His mask cracked and splintered off as his muscles bulged again, his force increasing and pushing Tenken back into Sajin's torso.

'Damn, how is he so strong?' Sajin thought, desperately. 'This isn't possible!' His thoughts were interrupted as Genma was stopped in his tracks by Hyorinmaru, attacking his legs.

"Clever child, aren't you?" Genma asked, before grabbing onto the dragon and ripping it to pieces. Toshiro looked on in shock. "How did you...?" he stammered. Genma merely chuckled. "Please, I have strength and hierro, I can do anything without consequence," he answered, confidently.

"Well, let's see how true that statement is!" Sajin yelled to his side, raising his sword again. "Bankai, Kokujo Tengen Myo'o!" he roared, the giant pulling himself out of the sands behind Sajin, who stood triumphantly.

"Now, arrancar, take this!" he yelled, swinging his sword down, which the giant copied, slamming Genma hard on the head, knocking him to the ground. Sajin then gestured down, and the giant reached down himself to pick Genma up. His grasp tightened around Genma's abdomen, but he just shook his head and raised his fists.

"Take this!" he yelled, smashing his fists down on the giant's hand, causing him to drop Genma, who landed perfectly on his feet, none the worse for wear. "Close, my friend, very close," Genma complimented Sajin, who in turn growled.

"Now, however, I'll have to use the full extent of my abilities," he continued. "For example..." he took his sword from its sheath, "my resurrection will need to be shown for me to fully be in this fight." He raised his sword and his face fell into one full of gloom. "I don't want to do this, but it looks like I have no choice... Tremor, Terremoto!"

He plunged his sword into the desert, which then proceeded to absorb it. The desert then enveloped him, a sandstorm surrounding him as he grew and changed. When the sands died down, both Sajin and Toshiro glared.

Before them stood a new Genma, with large gloves made of rock, along with an earthen shield on his back, which split apart into wing-shaped additions. His skin was also more earthen, looking harder and sterner than it did beforehand. Small shining rocks were at the centre of his palms, and one was at the centre of his forehead, his mask having broken away from his forehead.

"This is my resurrection, soul reapers," he bragged. "You forced me to release it, so you should take in the sight before it kills you where you stand! My hierro is now stronger than any before me, and any after me! Definitely beats that fool Nnoitra Jiruga's hierro hands down, don't you think?"

He then rushed forward, far quicker than he did beforehand, and pounded into Sajin's back, forcing him to the sand, unconscious after one hit. Toshiro's eyes widened. "Sajin!" he yelled in shock. He then turned to Genma. "How did you do that? You weren't that strong before!"

"Well, my boy, now I have a new ability, which I like to call 'Pesadez'," Genma explained. "It allows me to use my gravity and magnetic fields to attract myself to other objects or beings, instead of depending on my own energy. I find that it speeds things along nicely."

"Well, that means I'll have to go up to the next level, doesn't it?" Toshiro answered, glaring at him. "Bankai, Daiguren Hyorinmaru!" His sword shone and when the light died down, the large ice wings and tail had grown onto Toshiro's body, coming from his sword, which also encased his arm. He stood still as he readied himself.

He flash-stepped forward, at high speed, and stabbed forward at Genma, who took the attack. Toshiro smirked as he did this and shouted before contact "Ryusenka!" Genma took the attack but then looked down to see his body starting to freeze over. He struggled but couldn't escape as it took over his form.

Toshiro jumped back to admire his swift kill, but didn't expect to see what he did. Genma was still moving, his shining rocks radiating with aura. He pointed them at the ice, and it shattered from his skin, leaving him as he was beforehand. He looked up to Toshiro, with a smile on his face.

"You can't touch me child, it seems," he taunted. "I am immune because my powers allow me to shatter anything I want, as long as I am in range. Your ice will never kill me, never!"

"Yeah, well we'll see about that," Toshiro replied, flash-stepping in front of Genma and delivering a kick straight to his jaw. He connected, but it did minimal damage to him, Genma instead grabbing his leg and throwing him away.

Genma then turned to Sajin, to finish the job. "I apologise yet again, soul reaper, but I did not wish for it to come down to this," he muttered, raising his gloved hand. The rock at the centre of his palm glowed slightly, but he was interrupted yet again by Toshiro.

"Never turn your back on your opponent!" he yelled, insulted slightly, before raising his sword and pointing it at Genma. "Sennen Hyoro," he said, ice seeping out from the sands and freezing around Genma's feet.

"Please, child, I've already said, freezing will not work as long as I have my rocks," Genma replied, chuckling. He didn't see, however, large pillars rising up behind him. He heard the low sound of creaking ice and turned around to see them closing in on him. His eyes opened wide for the first time in shock.

"What?" he asked. "What is this?" He moved his palms to face them and attempted to crack them, but Toshiro gestured before he could, and the pillars rushed in and crushed him, freezing him on the spot.

Toshiro turned and walked over to Sajin, looking to treat his wounds. He kneeled down and held the back of his head. "Sajin, can you hear me?" he asked, worried. Sajin moaned slightly and sat up, rubbing his back. "That attack was extremely powerful – I've never felt anything like it," he gasped, sweating.

"It's alright," Toshiro replied. "I think I have finished him off for good this time. No-one can escape my sennen hyoro ability." He then heard a creak behind him, as if to answer the comment.

"Do you think so, Captain Hitsugaya?" Genma laughed. "To be frank, I think that is nothing but a lie, since I have escaped from it!" He finally emerged, barely unscathed, as the pillars of ice fell around him, shattering into nothing.

"But... you were frozen!" Toshiro stammered, shocked that Genma was back and hardly touched. "How could you have escaped?" Genma then chuckled again. "Well, I have a rock on my forehead which does the exact same thing as the ones on my gloves, except it is much stronger and extremely short-range," he explained. "When you captured me in those pillars, I used it without hesitation to crack through them and escape."

"No way..." Toshiro managed to say. Genma's face fell. "Although, with all those second chances I gave you, I think I'll need to kill you now," he said, sternly. "I gave you chance after chance to retreat and you didn't, and now your deaths have arrived."

He held out his left palm and scowled. "I hate doing this, but if this is what I have to do, I'll do it," he moaned. "Cero Pesadez!" he yelled, a large brown cero developing in front of the glimmering rock. He released it and it flew at high speed towards both Sajin and Toshiro, who both tried to move out of the way, but couldn't.

They could hear Genma chuckle. "Did you not hear me before?" he asked. "Pesadez means gravity... you can't escape this cero. It _will_ hit you and you _will_ get injured, or killed, there's no escape. My colleague Kiseki Kiryu is big on destiny, well this is a definite destiny – you will fall to my Cero Pesadez!"

The cero made contact and erupted into a large explosion. When it calmed down, both Sajin and Toshiro lay lifeless on the ground. Genma walked up to their forms and sighed. "And I gave you so many chances..." he muttered. "I think I'll leave you here dying to think about the mistakes you made. Well, now I shall have to stick by my orders from Kenji. I will slay every single being in my sight, whether soul reaper or arrancar, I shall do it without question."

* * *

The garganta opened in Hueco Mundo, and Rangiku rushed in, followed closely by Rukia and Renji, then Shuhei, Naomi and Retsu stepped through. Finally Isane and Zeo stepped through as it closed behind them.

Rangiku looked around desperately for Toshiro, but couldn't make him out in the sandstorm that was blowing about. "I can't see anything!" she moaned. "There's no way we can tell where anyone is in this!"

"Wait a minute whilst I scan around, will you?" Zeo asked, sternly, looking around. "I've lived here before, I can see through this sand – I'm used to it." After two minutes, he pointed to a spot to the left of them, and they followed him to it.

There they found two bodies lying on the sands, unconscious and close to death. Rangiku screamed. "Captain!" she yelled, rushing to Toshiro's side and crouching down to tend to him.

Isane ran up to him also, checking his vital signs. Retsu had walked over to Sajin, who could still be heard breathing, albeit harshly. As Retsu crouched down, Sajin reached out for her, and she took his hand to comfort him.

"Sajin, what is it?" she asked. "Everything is fine now, Isane and I are here now and we'll heal you and Toshiro in no time." Sajin shook his head. "It's not that..." he stammered. "It's the arrancar... too powerful..."

Retsu hushed him and lay him down on the sands, and started to tend to his wounds. She looked up to the lieutenants. "I will have to spend some time here with Isane to heal these two," she explained. "You go on without us, find any other captains and aid them as well as you can, understand?"

Everyone nodded in reply, apart from Rangiku, who was still kneeling at Toshiro's side. Isane put her hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Rangiku," she ensured her. "It'll be alright, we'll fix him up before you know it."

Rangiku looked blankly at her, but nodded anyway, standing up and walking away with the others as Isane and Retsu tended to the fallen.

* * *

Genma arrived at his destination and sighed. "Well, it seems that they're still fighting..." he muttered, staring at Yukari with interest. "It seems that whilst you knew of my defection from you and Ryo, you didn't know of Kenji's request of me. I will kill you when you win, and then I'll kill your troublesome boyfriend too..."

* * *

_And it seems that just as Soul Society gets a win, Kenji's forces rip it from their grasp. Genma shows how powerful he is, defeating two captains in one sitting, meaning that the result of this war may lie upon who dies in the next few battles._

_**Next chapter:** Talking about next battles, in the milestone chapter 30, Soifon faces off against Yukari, who has more than a few tricks up her sleeves (literally). Also, the time comes as to whether Genma will follow Kenji's orders or not. Find out next week, in 'A Chilling Atmosphere'._


	31. A Chilling Atmosphere

**Chapter 30 – A Chilling Atmosphere**

Yukari and Soifon merely stood staring at one another, wanting the other to make the first move so that they could counterattack for the advantage. The sands whipped up around them, but this didn't deter them from their lock of glares. Byakuya and Ryo had already gone further out to have room for their own battle, leaving the both of them alone.

"You'd better move soon, or I might just walk away from this fight," Yukari taunted, trying to get Soifon riled up. "Come on. Matthew killed all those innocent academy brats, and I'm standing up for him. Doesn't that make you the least bit angry?"

Soifon continued to glare at her. "Just because you say this doesn't mean it's true," she answered, confidently. "I can tell by your mannerisms and the way you say his name – you hate that arrancar with all of your soul. There's no point hiding it from me."

Yukari chuckled to herself. "You know," she mused, "you may be much more fun as an opponent than I originally thought. I think I'm really going to enjoy this." Her leg twitched. "So why not start it off then, huh?" she laughed before disappearing.

She quickly fell from above Soifon, who noticed this immediately, dodging out of the way of Yukari's kick effortlessly. She retaliated with a slash of her sword, which Yukari back-flipped to avoid. She landed on the sands, dusting herself off, whilst Soifon growled at her for doing so.

"Would you stop taunting me and start fighting properly?" she seethed, getting riled up. Yukari noticed her reaction and smiled. "Now," she said, "now I'll fight. You seem angry enough to make mistakes in battle."

Before Soifon could do or say anything, Yukari was already kneeing her in her side. She fell to the desert, groaning, as Yukari reappeared in front of her. She looked up to see Yukari smirking.

"Do you think we can tell who the better warrior is now?" Yukari teased, kneeling down to Soifon's level. She stroked her hair, as if to comfort her. "But don't worry, if you give up, I'll be sure to make your death absolutely painless."

Soifon growled and sliced at Yukari, who flipped back to avoid it again. Yukari swept her hair back as Soifon stood up, sword at the ready. She flash-stepped towards Yukari to stab her, but Yukari was ready, sidestepping the attack and elbowing Soifon in the ribs, forcing her back.

Soifon growled and slashed at her again, Yukari dodging every attack. Soifon stopped and panted, Yukari merely looking on, humoured. "Alright," she sighed, drawing her sword, "I may as well finish it now, seeming as though you're quite useless at this whole 'fighting' thing."

She raised her sword and smirked, her eyes flashing blue. "Freeze, Hielozorro!" she yelled, her sword erupting with light blue energy. It consumed her form as she started to change, dying down as she finished.

Soifon had covered her eyes from the blinding light, but now looked upon Yukari's new form and glared. Yukari's robes had been replaced by a long, flowing kimono coloured white and light blue, the sleeves going on beyond her hands. Her mask had stayed around her eye, but it had grown to cover the top part of her face and the left side of her jaw, but still left a gaping hole around the said eye. It started to elongate out to a snout-like shape as it got to her jaw, but her mouth was still visible. It was now blank and expressionless, the only decoration a dark oval over her covered eye.

She floated above the desert slightly, the tips of her toes barely grazing the surface. Two will-o-wisps floated around her head, giving off a cold chill. A dark and chilling aura surrounded her, causing Soifon to shiver slightly as she looked at her. Yukari exhaled deeply, a large cloud of ice particles leaving her mouth and hanging in the air.

"So," she started, almost gasping, "what do you think of my resurrection? Personally, I believe it to be the most beautiful and elegant of all resurrections, past or present." Soifon didn't answer, she just stood in shock and continued to shiver.

"I see," Yukari chuckled, "you can't answer. That's alright. My powers do come as quite a shock to most people, you're not alone." She floated toward Soifon, who continued to stay statuesque. "Hmm, I see you can't even move in reaction to my movements," Yukari laughed. "Please don't tell me that I've scared you stiff."

Yukari raised her arms, the sleeves falling down to her wrists, revealing two long metal claws affixed to them. She smirked as she pointed them at Soifon's throat. She drew them back to stab into Soifon, but didn't expect Soifon to suddenly move.

Soifon had flash-stepped back a few feet to a safe distance, panting heavily. She was covered in a cold sweat, but was now focused and ready. She stood up and sighed. "You have an ability that makes an opponent freeze in place with fear," Soifon explained. "I, however, saw through this ability. You had to be staring directly in my eyes, or vice versa, for this ability to take effect." She smirked. "Of course, I need to avoid that eye of yours for the remainder of this fight, but I think I can manage that."

Yukari growled. Her growl sounded slightly feral, which spooked Soifon slightly, but she calmed herself. She continued. "If you have taken the form of a Kitsune spirit, then I should remain calm throughout this fight, must I not?" she asked, a stern look on her face.

No response came from Yukari, so Soifon smirked again. "Well, it looks like I should release my power now, huh?" she said, posing with her sword. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" Her sword glowed slightly, a whirl of spiritual energy rushing in to surround it as it shrunk down onto her finger.

Yukari scowled as Soifon smirked. "What?" Soifon taunted. "Now that I've broken your gaze you're losing confidence, right?" Yukari chuckled. "No Soifon, don't compliment yourself," she taunted. "I have many more abilities to perplex you with!"

She rushed at Soifon, who dodged expertly, counterattacking with Suzumebachi. Yukari didn't move, however, as Soifon's attack merely passed through her. Yukari chuckled and knocked her away with her sleeves.

Soifon stood in shock yet again. "You're an actual Kitsune spirit?!" she gasped. "How can you do that? I had you!" Yukari chuckled again. "Come now, what did I just say?" she laughed. "I have _many_ more abilities for you. That's just the tip of the iceberg, sister." Yukari smirked wide, showing her fangs. "Why don't I show you another now?"

She gestured to the ground, where the clouds of ice had gathered. "This mist is created from my very body," she explained. "It is a fatal poison that infects the victim's bloodstream, freezing it on contact, stopping the blood flow to all extremities and vital organs, basically killing them inside out."

Soifon smirked. "Yeah, but..." she started, "it's all cloaking the ground. What good will it do there? It's cold air, so it'll always fall to the ground. Your poison will never enter my system!"

"Oh it won't?" Yukari smirked. "We'll soon see!" she chuckled, vanishing into the sands. Soifon gasped as Yukari jumped from the desert in front of her, and planted a kiss onto her lips, exhaling as she did. Yukari stood back and vanished again, reappearing a few feet back, smirking.

"That is how I deliver my poison!" Yukari laughed. "In fact, that is the same way that Ryo and I became a couple... well, after the fight finished." Soifon fell to her knees, holding her throat. She choked as the mist laced her throat, and started to feel weak as the mist froze her blood.

"This is the end for you, captain," Yukari laughed. "I told you I was the better warrior, but you didn't listen. You kept on going, and eventually fell to my power. You really are a fool, aren't you?"

* * *

The group of soul reapers continued on their way, the sands being whipped up in their faces by the strong winds. A cold chill overcame them, radiating from the distance. Naomi started to shiver, so Zeo held her close. Renji led them on.

"I can sense Captain Kuchiki's spiritual pressure in the distance," he murmured. Rukia nodded. "I hope he isn't facing that dark spiritual energy..." she replied. Zeo shook his head.

"No, that's definitely Captain Soifon's spiritual pressure that is up against that cold one..." he trailed off, "though it's quite faint. I don't think she's doing that well." Rangiku nodded. "It feels like she's slowly fading," she added. "If we hurry up we may be able to help her."

They all nodded and attempted to run for it, but then saw two figures walking to the right of them. Shuhei's eyes widened. "Captain Kurotsuchi?" he asked, surprised.

As the figures blurred into view, it became quite apparent that Mayuri and Nemu were walking to the side of them. Nemu noticed them first, and looked slightly pleased to see them. She turned to Mayuri to get his attention, who then in turn looked at the group.

"Ah, lieutenants of all sizes I see," he mused, walking over to them. "What are you doing here? I thought you all went forward with your captains," he continued, confused. "You should all be ahead of me at the moment... unless you were halted by something?"

Renji nodded. "Yeah, one of the arrancar messed with the garganta, so we couldn't get through until quite recently." Mayuri chuckled. "Well, I don't need your assistance at all," he answered flatly. "All I need is my own skill."

Zeo and Renji took offence to this, glaring at him. Naomi held Zeo back whilst Shuhei took a hold of Renji's arm. "Still, I think I could use you all to my advantage in battle," Mayuri continued. "You could all make useful bait for my enemies."

"I'll be the judge of that!" a commanding voice came from the centre of the sandstorm, the figure blurring into vision. It was a male arrancar, wearing a tattered uniform, standing at least six feet tall. His mask surrounded his right eye, jutting out from the side. His long, brown hair covered fell over the left side of his face, hindered from doing so on the right because of his mask.

"I am Master Genma Fujima's top clansman – Yuki Oikawa, the Master of Faster!" he said, hand raised in the air, confident. "I'm here by Kenji's orders to deal with the lieutenants that have no captains with them, and it looks like I've found them. But..." he looked at Mayuri and Nemu, "...it looks like I've got some unexpected company. What're you two doing here?"

Mayuri chuckled to himself. "Well, if you want them to yourself, be my guest!" he cackled, beckoning Nemu to follow him as he vanished back into the sandstorm. Nemu turned and bowed to their group, as in apology, before following him quickly.

"And now we finish you lot up!" Yuki laughed. "There's a reason I'm called the Master of Faster – and that's because my resurrection allows me to give particles a higher amount of energy, speeding them up like a bitch!"

He raised his sword and laughed again. "Like this! Pulse, Oscilador!" his sword pulsed with energy, throwing sand – and the lieutenants – away. The sand fell from the wind, and before them stood Yuki, but a much more striking Yuki.

His arms were now covered in bone, his fingers now claws. There was a small gem on each of his palms, glowing green. In his hair were now white streaks, jagged like lightning bolts. His mask now covered the whole of the right half of his face, the jaw and fangs most prominent.

"And now you will see the wizardry which I have with particles!" he laughed. Renji looked at the others and smirked. "Is anyone else getting the feeling that this guy is insane?" Zeo and Shuhei stood forward with him, smirking. "Oh yeah," Zeo replied. "This guy's completely insane."

Yuki laughed at their comments. "Yeah, you keep thinking that!" he said. "It'll just be buried into your mind more when I destroy you!"

* * *

Soifon continued to grasp at her throat, clinging to her every breath. Yukari continued to look on, amused, as her mist left her mouth, falling to the ground with every breath she took.

She turned to walk away, content with her victory. As she was about to deactivate her resurrection, she quickly turned to block something. Standing before her was Soifon, although she had a wound on her chest, surrounded by a butterfly-shaped mark.

"What?" Yukari gasped, her claws holding Soifon's blade back. "How did you stop my poison?" she asked, amazed. Soifon smirked and jumped back, ready to attack again.

"Why?" Soifon asked, "In awe at my power? You should be. I used my shikai's ability to counteract the poison you gave me." Yukari was silent, growling. "You see," Soifon continued, "my shikai allows the death of one who is stabbed in the same place twice. This comes about by the poison it releases. To save myself from other poisons, I can give myself my own, negating the said poison and allowing myself to continue fighting."

Yukari fumed. "How do you have something like this?" she growled. "I thought I had you!" Soifon laughed. "What?" she answered. "Like I thought I 'had' you before? No chance! _I_ also have abilities that _you_ are unfamiliar with."

She made an attacking stance and started to remove her haori. "And I'll show you one now, actually," she said, glaring at Yukari. "It's called Shunko, a special type of fighting style only known by the heads of the Special Forces."

She threw her haori to the side, revealing to Yukari her Special Forces uniform. Yukari tilted her head to the right and smirked. "Hey, that looks good on you, Soifon," she said slyly, making Soifon stall slightly.

She took this opening and rushed in, claws at the ready. Soifon smirked and inhaled deeply, exhaling after shouting "Shunko!" The white aura surrounded her, and started to flow around her blade.

She quickly flash-stepped, forcing Yukari to stop dead in her tracks unable to locate her. "Where are you?" she yelled, claws raised, "I'll tear you limb from limb!" Soifon's voice echoed throughout the area. "I'd like to see you try, Nosaka!" she yelled, before quickly rushing in and stabbing Yukari in her lung from behind.

She disappeared as fast as she stabbed at her, leaving Yukari to look around, attempting to focus on her spiritual pressure. "I may not be able to sense you, girl," she scowled, "but I can still be unharmed by any of your attacks!" With that, she raised her arms, her form becoming slightly faded.

"I am now in my spiritual form, unable to be hit or get hit!" she yelled out. "There's no way I will lose this fight! I remember what you said, one more stab to my back and I'm finished, right? Wrong! You won't get the damn chance!"

Soifon was flash-stepping continuously around Yukari, not wanting to get noticed. 'What am I going to do if I can't hit her then?' she asked herself. 'I would use bankai, but I need to finish this quick, and that damn thing will only slow me down. Damn, I'll need to come up with a solution soon, or I'm dead...'

* * *

Yuki slashed at Renji as he tried to attack him, his bone claws razor-sharp. "Don't bother, soul reaper!" he gloated. "I am more than enough for you all! Your demise will be all the more quick and painless if you give up now!"

"Don't think so, big-guy!" Zeo yelled, drawing his sword. "Let's try this for size. Writhe, Tenencia! His sword disappeared, the energy from it forming over his hands, forming gloves. His tail also grew from his back. All developed the thin needles and he fired them at Yuki, looking to hit him.

Yuki laughed, however, and raised his palms. "Tremolar!" he yelled, a pulse firing from the gems in his palms. The needles stopped in midair and were shot back in Zeo's direction, at twice the speed.

Zeo was taken aback and unable to move, but Naomi rushed in with Seireitenshi released. She raised her bardiche up, the blade absorbing the needles' energy. They then fell to the ground, unmoving.

Zeo managed to word "Thanks" to her, to which she smiled in reply. Suddenly, Kazeshini flew from behind them toward Yuki, who smiled yet again. "Come on, this is like child's play!" he yelled. "Tremolar!" The pulse fired yet again, the sickle-like blade of Kazeshini firing back in the direction it came.

Shuhei didn't expect this, but tried to fire it back, using the wind as a power source. It did nothing, and the blade continued to come in at speed. Quickly, Naomi appeared again and absorbed the effort the blade had, making it fall lifelessly to the ground.

Renji growled and nodded to Rangiku, who nodded back. They both jumped up, ready to fight. "Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji yelled, his bone-snake forming quickly above him. Rangiku also released her sword. "Growl, Haineko!" she yelled, her sword reducing to a cloud of ash.

Renji gestured down, Hihio Zabimaru following it down to attack Yuki. Yuki however grabbed it by its snout and blocked it. He then smiled and opened his eyes wide as he yelled "Desplazar!" Hihio Zabimaru suddenly disappeared, and from Renji's hands. "What?" Renji yelled in shock, wondering where Zabimaru had gone.

Meanwhile, Rangiku also gestured, the ash firing down to attack Yuki. Yuki placed his hands forward again and yelled "Tremolar!" The ash fired back at Rangiku, but Naomi came in to block and absorb the power again.

Renji landed and glared at Yuki. "What did you do to my Zabimaru?" he yelled. Yuki chuckled. "Come now, I just gave his molecules a bit too much energy, so I displaced him into the future," Yuki explained. "Actually, he should be back any minute..." and with that, Hihio Zabimaru reappeared on the desert.

"Now," Yuki finished. "Looks like my timing was dead on. Don't you love it when that happens?" Naomi nodded to Rukia, who smiled back. "Not really," Naomi yelled, rushing forward.

Rukia did the same, Sode no Shirayuki released. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" she yelled, swiping her sword down, creating a wave of ice that was too quick for Yuki to deflect. He raised his arms in defence and was surprised to see them frozen when he lowered them.

"And now, your demise," Naomi whispered. "Bankai! Kozumikkukouken Seireitenshi!" She sprouted two wings, one black and one white. Her bardiche lengthened out and it shimmered, seven clones of her appeareing around her. She gestured and they all came together, forming the large form of her bankai spirit.

A large, grey form was built up, wielding a large blade. Its wings fluttered as it readied its blade. "Now, Kozumikku Reitentei!" she yelled, the large angelic form rushing at Yuki at light-speed. Yuki attempted to blast it away, but his gems wouldn't work because they were frozen up.

The angel sliced through Yuki's form swiftly and silently dispersed. Yuki stood still for a moment as Naomi walked up to him. "It's unfortunate that you kept on sending our attacks back..." she said, solemnly. "I absorbed all of the energy from those attacks and it all helped charge up my final attack. Your ultimate shield was my ultimate sword. Your fate is your own undoing, I apologise."

Yuki smirked slightly as he started to fall. "I die a warrior's death, it seems," he started to laugh, and he took his last breath before falling to the ground, dead, blood erupting from his wound.

* * *

Soifon continued to circle Yukari, unable to get a proper hit on her foe. 'Damn intangibility,' she cursed in her head. 'If she creates an opening, I'll take it, but until then, I'm unable to do anything. That power has to soak up some energy from her body, so eventually she'll become touchable. That's my chance to strike.'

Behind Yukari, however, she felt a wave of energy. It felt like she was being drawn to something, so she turned to look into the distance. Nothing was there, just a rock or two. She was unable to sense anything else, but a wave of realisation overcame her.

'Genma...' she thought. 'It's him... he's here... to take me out...' she trailed off, focusing in on his spiritual energy. 'Little do you know, Genma, that I am smarter than you think. The others may have had their doubts about you, but I knew you were up to something, because I can spy using my intangibility. You're going to slay everyone who is left standing, and I cannot let that happen. Kenji will not win, we will.'

She suddenly felt choked and grasped for her chest. She looked down to her chest to see that she wasn't intangible any more. "What?" she yelled. "How did this happen? Why can't I...?"

She was interrupted by two blades slicing into her chest, one in her back and one to her heart. She turned around to see Soifon with her blade in her, and in front of her was Genma, sword sticking in her heart,

She let out a loud scream before she fell to her knees, in pain. Genma withdrew his sword and looked at Soifon, who was staring at him in confusion. "Why would you attack your own comrades?" she yelled at him. He stayed silent. "Well, why? Answer me!"

Genma sighed. "I didn't want to, but those are orders..." he trailed off. "My orders also include you too... My advice is: 'Run before I kill you'."

* * *

_Yukari's powers seemed to be impossible to defeat, but Genma's gravity manipulation seemed to be their only weakness. It seems that Genma is following his orders to the letter, slicing down everyone is his way, including his own teammates. Meanwhile, his top 'Fraccion', you could say, has been defeated by the wandering group of lieutenants. Question is: Will Genma be able to kill Soifon next?_

_**Next chapter:** Whilst this was all happening, Ryo and Byakuya had started to face off. Now that Yukari has been fatally wounded, what reaction will arise in Ryo? I don't want to give too much away, but I will give the title - 'Legendary Status'._


	32. Legendary Status

**Chapter 31 – Legendary Status**

Ryo nodded to Byakuya and gestured further to their left. "Let's get away from these two and allow ourselves and them some room, alright?" he asked, glancing at Soifon and Yukari. Byakuya nodded in response. They both suddenly vanished, appearing a couple of metres in the direction Ryo pointed out.

"Good," Ryo said, stonily. "Now I can finally get rid of you – the ultimate pest in the way of my Lord Matthew." Byakuya merely ignored the comment, raising his sword to shoulder level. He then flicked it around in his hand so that it pointed up.

"I believe that I should finish this quickly," he murmured. "You seem strong, far stronger than that other arrancar, I admit. This is why I shall destroy you now before you release your sword." It slowly flaked off as pink petals as Byakuya whispered "Scatter, Senbonzakura..."

The whirl of petal-blades surrounded him like a fine mist as the hand previously holding the sword fell to his side. He looked up at Ryo's eyes, from what he could make of them. He was met with a blank gaze, as if Ryo held no emotion.

Byakuya ignored this and gestured, the blades following his hand and flying towards Ryo, who in turn used sonido to blur to the left, the blades missing him completely. Byakuya glared at him and gestured again, the blades following his directions.

Ryo sighed and drew his sword. "Eradicate, Sentencia de l'Anubis..." he muttered, his sword curving into the scimitar. His bandages slightly unravelled, elongating and becoming more snake-like. His uniform unbuttoned and opened up, revealing his hollow hole on his chest, his coattails elongated, and his whole colour scheme turned black.

His bandages crossed in front of him to block the blades, creating a wall-like structure. The blades slammed into it but did nothing, the bandages seemingly being made out of steel.

Byakuya gestured, and the blades returned to surround him. He looked upon Ryo's resurrection with little amazement. "So you're saying that you are more powerful than the reptilian arrancar?" he asked, unbelieving. "Please, you look as pathetic as he did. My shikai will cut through you."

"What?" Ryo answered, slightly humoured. "Like it did just then to my bandages? Ha..." He then raised his scimitar and rushed at Byakuya, who stood his ground. Byakuya merely raised his hand, and the blades surrounding him solidified into a wall. Ryo slammed into it with his scimitar, but was thrust back in a flash of energy.

Ryo landed on the sands, but rolled into an upright position, standing up straight, slowly. "So, I admit this," he began, "you're good. I see why my Lord Matthew had trouble with you. But please don't group me in with his level of power, as I am much more than that."

"Oh?" Byakuya questioned. "And would you show me this power that you claim you have? Or are you merely bluffing to try and intimidate me?" Ryo snarled slightly, his eyes flashing red under his mask. "Just wait, soul reaper," he muttered, "I'll show you true strength soon enough..."

Byakuya merely closed his eyes in response, whispering only one word. "Senka..." He disappeared swiftly, Senbonzakura dispersing into the air. Ryo looked around, confused, trying to home in on Byakuya's spiritual energy. Byakuya reappeared behind him, and quickly delivered two gestures with his hands, Senbonzakura's blades reappearing and cutting into Ryo's back.

Ryo screamed in agony and fell to his knees, Byakuya vanishing and appearing in front of Ryo again. "Senka is an ability derived from shunpo, the flash-step," Byakuya explained. "It involves me spinning whilst flash-stepping to move behind my opponent, leaving their backs exposed to my assault. I don't look down on you for not expecting it, rarely anybody does."

Ryo snarled as he stood back up, shaking slightly as he straightened his back. "Nice move, Kuchiki," he said, panting. "Stings like a bitch. Just the way I like it." He gestured to his back. "But you still don't think that will be enough, do you?" His bandages followed his gesture and they wrapped around him again, lengthening out as they did. They wrapped around the wounds Byakuya had made and tightened to put pressure on them.

"You see, my regenerating abilities are of high-quality amongst the arrancar of this generation," Ryo continued. "My bandages have lives of their own, almost, and can heal me if I ever get injured. And I let them, as they can still grow to be used as weapons. This healing quality, I like to call it 'Embalsamar', what do you think?"

Byakuya ignored him yet again, slightly angering Ryo. "I still don't think you understand, arrancar," he replied. "You will not win, and that is because you are flawed, in every sense of the word. You cannot match my superior strength and skill."

Ryo smirked. "Yes, I've heard of your 'legendary' skills, Kuchiki," he muttered. "But still, I believe I can destroy you with ease. Let me demonstrate." He rushed forward, scimitar swinging at Byakuya, who stood still, awaiting the blade.

As Ryo slashed through Byakuya's form, it faded and blurred out of vision. He then heard the voice of Byakuya emanating from behind him, almost as if he was mocking him. "Come now, I'm not so idiotic to get hit by a full-on attack like that, am I?" Byakuya taunted, which riled Ryo up even more.

"What you just witnessed is my Utsusemi skill, where I can leave an afterimage after I flash-step," Byakuya continued, explaining. "With it, I can fool my opponents into charging at me, like you yourself just demonstrated, and then I can-"

He was interrupted by a deafening scream coming from where they had previously begun their battle. Ryo looked into the distance, showing emotion. He had worry etched onto his face, and fear as to what had happened.

"It seems that Soifon has slain your friend over there," Byakuya continued, attempting to taunt Ryo even more. Ryo looked back to Byakuya, glaring at him. "It's not Captain Soifon's spiritual pressure that stopped Yukari's..." he said, ominously. He stood to attention and rushed off towards the scream. Byakuya quickly followed in pursuit, not wanting Ryo to escape.

* * *

Ryo arrived at the scene and rushed over to Yukari's side as she lay bleeding on the desert. He gently slid her head onto his knee to prop her up so that she could see him. "Yukari, are you alright?" he asked her, pleading more than asking. Yukari stirred and opened her eyes, gazing into the eyeholes of Ryo's mask.

"Hey, Ryo, I still can't see your eyes properly..." she gasped. "Maybe that's well though, as there were rumours seeing your eyes could kill, back in the day..."

"Yukari, don't say that!" Ryo scolded her, albeit hushed. "You're acting as if you're dying. I can still heal you, my Embalsamar ability works on others too." Byakuya had now arrived and decided to stand back after surveying the scene. Ryo glanced back and noticed this, but continued with Yukari.

"No..." Yukari coughed. "I'm too far gone to be healed now..." She gestured to Soifon, who still stood in shock. "Partly because of her, the worthy opponent she was..." Ryo looked up to Soifon, then looked back at Yukari.

"But she isn't why you're dying, Yukari," he answered, glaring at Genma, who stood at the side, sword still bloodied. He had a disinterested look on his face, allowing them both to continue.

"Ryo, just leave me to die peacefully, please..." Yukari begged, weakly. "Just remember, I did it all for you..." She gasped deeply, falling from Ryo's knee to the sand, dead. Ryo stood up slowly, red light visible under his eyeholes.

"I apologise, Captain Kuchiki," he began, "but it looks like I have other business to take care of before we continue our little skirmish... you don't mind do you?" Byakuya was silent, but nodded knowingly.

Ryo smirked slightly. "That's fine then..." he muttered darkly. Genma took notice of him and smirked back. "What now, Sakai?" he taunted, "Going to exact your revenge on me for Nosaka's death?"

"No, Genma, I'm not..." Ryo answered, cryptically. "I'm going to release upon you all of the despair I have felt as each of those dear to me have fallen. First Eiji and Kotomi fell, two of my closest friends, followed by my dear Sakura. Then, my own Lord Matthew fell in battle with Kenji, of all people. Now, one of the last few souls who I care for, Yukari Nosaka, has been slain by you Genma. That gets me heated up a lot..."

"And what will you do, Ryo?" Genma retorted. "Kill me? I think not! Get on with your fight with Kuchiki and kill him so I can slice up the remains of you both, like Kenji ordered me to."

"No Genma, I shall strike you down with my own bare hands if I have to!" Ryo yelled, fangs now visible in his mouth. His eyes now shone a blood-red, making Soifon stand back slightly.

He swiftly rushed at Genma, who couldn't follow him fast enough, and was surprised as he felt bandages wrap around his arms. Ryo slowly picked Genma up by his arms, the bandages holding the larger arrancar in place. Ryo raised his scimitar and smirked.

"My bloodlust will be quenched here and now!" he yelled, slicing it down across Genma's chest, blood spurting from the open wound. Genma roared in surprise and pain as the blood left his body. Ryo's bandages loosened and Genma fell to the desert, feeling at his wound.

"How did you cut me?" Genma asked, amazed. Ryo smirked as he looked down to Genma's prone form. "What?" he asked, laughing to himself, "Scared now? Now that the almighty earthen skin has been sliced into?"

"No," Genma replied, panting slightly, "I just want to know if this is your limit, as I know I can be stronger than this!" He stood up quickly and went in to punch Ryo's abdomen, but Ryo moved back to avoid it. Genma then leaned in for another punch, clipping Ryo in the side and throwing him to the desert with force. Ryo rolled to a stop and coughed up blood, holding onto his side.

"I give you one thing though," Genma continued. "Even with my resurrection released, and my skin composed of earth, you still cut me. So be it! I shall go all out to finish you off! Be proud in what you will witness, Ryo Sakai, as I have only shown this form to those who truly deserve it!"

Genma raised his gloved fists and slammed them together, yelling as he did. "Terremoto! Resurection Segunda Etapa!" Ryo's eyes widened in shock, as did Soifon's and Byakuya's, as Genma started to grow to double his former height. His uniform lengthened out to fit his new form, and his skin became extremely rocky in texture. The wing-shapes on his back grew larger, and the shining gems on his palms and forehead grew larger. A crown of earth now etched itself into his skull as he roared with pride.

He laughed with confidence and pride. "I am the only living arrancar with a Segunda Etapa!" he bragged. "As Ulquiorra Cifer's old clan leader, I had the Segunda Etapa before he did, and I taught him how to get to it if he ever became an arrancar!"

He then raised his monstrous hands and looked at them. "My, my," he muttered, his voice booming despite the little effort, "I must have forgotten how powerful I feel in this form. I haven't done this for so long, so I'll need to get a feel for my new skin, so to speak."

With that, and a dark smile at Ryo, he slammed his rocky fist down to the desert, attempting to squash Ryo flat. Ryo was ready, however, and used sonido to dodge, appearing just above Genma's head.

He raised his scimitar and his bandages followed suit, standing tall and sharpening. He sliced down, his bandages copying his attack and doing the same. All met with Genma's earthen skin and merely bounced off. Genma then turned to look at Ryo, smirking.

"Come now, Sakai," Genma laughed. "You don't think this Segunda Etapa is for nothing, do you? Of course it has a role. It leaves me invulnerable from anything you can throw. And it lets me do this..."

He raised both of his palms, the gems shining bright. He laughed again as a large golden blast flew out of each of them, hitting Ryo squarely and sending him forcefully to the sands. He landed on his back, then automatically rolled over to cough up blood.

Soifon glared at Genma as he laughed at this situation, then turned to Byakuya. "Byakuya, do you not think we should intervene?" she asked, hushed. "They are both our enemies, and if we launch a surprise attack now, they would be unable to defend themselves."

Byakuya shook his head. "No Soifon, we allow them to continue," he answered, softly. "This is a fight of honour for Sakai, we will not intrude. From a political view, if Sakai somehow defeats this monstrosity, then we will be able to slay Ryo himself easier, meaning Soul Society's victory over Kenji. Keep that in mind, Soifon."

Soifon was surprised at Byakuya's reaction, but nodded and looked back to the fallen form of Ryo, before glaring at Genma. 'You'd better kill this vile fiend, Sakai,' she thought. 'Anyone who kills their own teammates is filth in my eyes.'

Ryo had finally stood up, albeit unsteadily. The cuts and scrapes covering his torso were now bleeding heavily, and blood was still running from his mouth. Genma smirked wider.

"And that was my statically-supercharged Bala!" he roared with humour. "My powers of earth allow me to produce a natural static current, you see. You were blasted out of the sky with an arrancar's weakest attack, how pathetic!" Ryo was now scowling, his eyes shining crimson.

"Well then," he growled, his fangs becoming more prominent. "I may as well show you my next level, mightn't I?" he taunted. Genma's eyes widened slightly as Ryo raised his scimitar.

"You do realise that Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa is legendary amongst our generation, right old man?" Ryo continued, putting emphasis on 'old man', which caused Genma to scowl. "Every single one of the arrancar I know from our generation wanted to get to that level, and no-one ever could. No-one, that is, except I. I was the sole arrancar to gain enough power to allow myself a new form, which I'll show you now..."

His eyes radiated crimson beams as his bandages loosened around him, forming a large cocoon around his body. As they did, they flailed wildly around the cocoon like whips, awaiting anything that came near.

Genma looked on, confused. 'No way...' he thought. 'Only I have a Segunda Etapa! This kid is lying! He doesn't have anything of the sort!' The cocoon hummed with energy as it finally broke away, the bandages unravelling.

Ryo's voice could be heard, although it was lower and more feral. "Resurrection Segunda Etapa!" he roared, landing on the sands on all-fours. He was now slightly larger than before, but the most noticeable change was that he now had a light layer of black fur on his shown skin. His hands had morphed into claws, and his scimitar was now affixed to a staff, becoming a pike-like weapon. His jackal skull had changed from ivory to ebony and his eyes were now gems of crimson bloodlust, befitting the new snout he now sported, also covered in fur. The bandages that used to be wrapped around him seemingly now emanated from his body.

His voice growled like a feral beast's, his laugh coming from the back of his throat. "And now you see, my Segunda Etapa..." he trailed off. "Personally, I hate it. It reminds me too much of how we arrancar are merely wild animals in the eyes of the Soul Reapers, but it should do the job well to kill you."

Genma smirked slightly as he felt Ryo's spiritual pressure. "Your spiritual energy is too low!" he laughed. "All of this flash for some pathetic increase in spiritual energy? How trivial!"

He raised his gloved hands and slammed them into Ryo, who merely stood there, glaring at him. When Ryo finally moved, he only moved his hand, gesturing to his bandages, which swiftly flew out of his body and fitted together to form a shield. Genma's hands made contact with it, with the shield didn't budge.

Ryo smirked at Genma's look of shock and disappeared quickly. He reappeared in front of Genma's face and snarled, his fangs showing. He raised his pike and slashed it down, a wave of energy coming from the blade. It hit Genma squarely in the face and sent him down on his back, making the ground rumble underneath Soifon and Byakuya's feet.

Ryo snarled however, as he felt Genma's spiritual energy rise. "He's getting up..." Ryo growled, slightly shaken. Genma was, and when he had finally stabled himself, glared at Ryo.

"Alright," he admitted, irritated, "I'll admit that was powerful. You were just keeping your spiritual energy down until it was needed. Now, that could either mean you did it intentionally to fool me, or it is mandatory for you to do this, as opposed to something that would happen if you didn't. Am I correct?"

Ryo growled again. "You're correct, Genma," he replied. "My spiritual pressure has to be kept down in this form, otherwise my feral instincts will take over and I will kill and maim everything in my path until I take control back."

Genma slightly muttered at that moment, and Ryo's eyes glowed. "I see," he smirked, "so you think that if the Soul Reaper's think we are animals, I am the prime example? I do not think so..." Genma was shocked that Ryo heard him, and looked at him accusingly. "What?" Ryo asked, humoured. "You want to know how I knew what you had said? Well, as a devout follower of Anubis, he gives me powers not normally associated with battle – for example, my psychic abilities to read your thoughts, and my ability to judge the hearts of beings. Just so you know, yours in most impure."

Genma scowled and stepped forward, slamming his fist down to the ground again. Ryo growled and again vanished, appearing above Genma's head. Ryo raised his pike to attack again, but Genma then smirked wide.

"Extremo Pesadez!" he yelled, Ryo becoming unstable in the air and flying towards Genma's now-outstretched fist. Genma leaned into the punch, Ryo flying to the sand forcefully.

Genma then raised his hands to his forehead, the gems on each glowing bright. "My Cero Pesadez was powerful when in my resurrection, but let's try it in my second resurrection, hmm?" he mocked, the fallen Ryo's body unmoving. His gems shone bright, energy building up in the space between them.

Ryo finally opened his eyes and growled. He vanished and appeared above Genma's head again, pike at the ready. Genma looked up in surprise, but was met with a large pike slash straight down his front, forcing him back and making the cero explode in his face.

Genma scowled and punched forward at Ryo, who merely parried it with his pike. Genma growled and punched at him again, Ryo again parrying the blows. Ryo snarled menacingly. Genma stepped back slightly in fear.

"You..." he started, "you're not conscious, are you?" he mumbled. Ryo smirked slightly, then rushed at Genma's torso, pike ready to slash. He disappeared for an instant, reappearing behind him, placing his pike to his side.

A large gash suddenly cut into Genma's side and he groaned in agony, placing his hands on the wound. Ryo turned and slashed upwards, a large wound appearing on Genma's back, blood seeping from it. Ryo then vanished and appeared in front of Genma's face, meeting his eyes.

He snarled in victory, but Genma laughed. "You think you've won?" he taunted. "I think not! Cero Pesadez!" He raised his hands and the large brown cero flew from them, powered by its own gravity field. It smashed into Ryo's skull, his body not moving from the spot, and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"I told you!" Genma gloated. "I told you that you'd fall! It was obvious, as I am a much older and more powerful arrancar than you. All of this adds up to me being stronger. There is no doubt!"

He was surprised, however, as Ryo's form had disappeared from the ground and he was now standing at Genma's face. Genma backed up slightly as he saw that Ryo's mask had fallen from his head, and his eyes were closed.

"I have to thank you, Genma..." Ryo started. "For knocking me back to my senses. But now you've done something else – you've forced me to do something I swore I'd never do again. This ability of mine is too sickening to describe, as it kills the opponent outright, with no chance of survival."

He slowly opened his eyes, them both glowing crimson and burning into Genma's own. "Carcomar a Polvo..." he muttered, Genma screaming in fear. Genma fell back onto the sand and started to shake uncomfortably. Ryo landed on the desert and looked away.

Genma raised his hands. The earth had flaked away from his skin, and now his skin was also flaking away. His body was slowly turning into dust. He looked over to Ryo and reached for him, just as his body – skin and bones – disintegrated, being carried away in the wind.

His clothes fell to the ground, and his scream could still be heard echoing in the distance. Ryo sighed. "It appears Genma was correct..." he whispered. "I am an animal..."

* * *

Ryo met Byakuya with a blank stare. "Kuchiki..." he muttered. "I have nothing to live for anymore..." Byakuya merely looked at him, expecting something. Ryo nodded and continued. "I want you to kill me. Do this for me as my one wish. I wish for a death worthy of my power and status."

Byakuya nodded, making Ryo smirk slightly. They walked away and then faced each other, their swords raised in preparation. "Now..." Ryo said, vanishing. He appeared behind Byakuya, ready to slash at him, but slashed through an image, which blurred out of view quickly.

Byakuya responded with a swift kick to Ryo's back, forcing him to the sand. Ryo rolled into it and stood up quickly, smirking. "Good moves, Kuchiki," he admitted. "I wasn't expecting another utsusemi, but it worked in your favour. Now, however, I think it's time you finished it."

Byakuya nodded silently, and dropped his sword blade-first. Ryo was shocked as it was absorbed into the ground. "Bankai..." Byakuya whispered, the rows of swords appearing on either side of him. "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi..." The blades disintegrated into small pink blades and surrounded them both. "Shukei..." Byakuya added, the blades all condensing into his hand, creating the one large blade. Pure white wings and a halo of spiritual energy also appeared as he finished his sentence with "Hakuteiken."

He flew forward, as did Ryo with his weapon held high. They met in the middle with a clash of steel and spiritual energy, resulting in a large explosion. After the light calmed down, Byakuya and Ryo still stood.

Ryo's body suddenly erupted with a large cut, forcing him to his knees. "Thank you..." he managed to speak, looking up to the sky to see the blurred images of Sakura, Eiji, Kotomi and Yukari looking over him. "I'm coming to join you..." he smiled, before collapsing on the ground, dead. The wind picked up as he fell, spreading sand all over his back. Byakuya turned to Soifon, who had witnessed the whole fight.

"Let's go Soifon," he said, softly. "Head-Captain Seiryoku most likely needs assistance, since she's against Kenji..." Soifon glanced one last time at Ryo, then looked up at Byakuya. "Yeah, let's go," she replied. "Before she's hollow food..."

* * *

_And with that, two more of Kenji's arrancar have fallen. At this rate, it seems the Gotei have everything under control, right? Maybe... Since now the battles with Kenji's commanders begins, and they from past experience are known for being powerful._

_**Next chapter:** It's the turn of Kaede and Rei, as they have yet another battle with Raven and Crystal. The soul reapers haven't forgotten their first defeat, and now that the visoreds have killed in cold blood, it seems they won't show them any mercy. Also, it seems the lieutenants are welcomed by yet another arrancar. All this in the next chapter, 'Broken Soul'._


	33. Broken Soul

**Chapter 32 – Broken Soul**

Kaede and Rei nodded at each other, smirking. Raven braced himself for their move, whilst Crystal glared at them. "Well, it looks like the final battle before our victory will be against the ones who we faced first," Rei laughed.

Kaede nodded. "It's almost like this was meant to be, don't you two agree?" she asked, sincerely. Crystal merely pouted, continuing her glare at them both, whereas Raven sighed. "I apologise, but these conversations are now meaningless," he explained. "You killed soul reapers, and have thus tainted your souls, so I will have to kill you both. Get ready to die."

"Please," Rei giggled. "You make us sound like monsters or something. We were just getting our own back on the seireitei for abandoning us, just because we were different." She raised her sword and her face fell. "They all deserved what they received."

Kaede nodded. "We were wronged in our past, and so deserved some revenge, don't you see?" she pleaded with them both. They were both silent at her remark. She sighed. "You wouldn't understand anyway... you two have probably never been isolated for years on end..."

Raven glared at her slightly and flash-stepped into an attack on her, which Rei masterfully blocked for her sister, bringing Raven into a deadlock. Crystal immediately flash-stepped to attack Rei, but Kaede was ready this time. She spun around and blocked for her sister, smirking.

"Come on, you thought we couldn't see that coming?" she mocked, Crystal glaring at her in reply. All four hesitated before flash-stepping back to their original positions at the each side of the room.

'We're evenly matched again...' Rei thought, Kaede agreeing instantly. 'You can feel our spiritual energies; they're a perfect match for each other. This _is_ fate.' Rei nodded in response, and Raven smirked. He glanced at Crystal.

"They're discussing the fact that we're yet again evenly matched," he whispered to her. "You can tell because of the determination that suddenly arose in Rei's eyes." Crystal smirked. "You know," she started, "when you try to read someone, you read them like an open book, don't you?"

Raven smirked back and then faced both of their opponents, who had finished conversing. Rei's eyes showed a hint of lust, but Raven couldn't determine if it was bloodlust or something else.

Rei quickly flash-stepped, slashing at Raven's back, but Raven span around quickly and blocked, putting them in a deadlock. Kaede took this opening and flash-stepped in to attack Crystal, who blocked and parried the blow immediately, jumping back and raising her sword.

"Purify, Youshatenshi!" she yelled, her sword elongating into a halberd, a gem centred in the blade. She smirked and disappeared, her flash-stepping speed now quicker. Kaede tensed up and tried to search for Crystal's spiritual pressure. Her eyes opened wide as she span around quickly to block a wide swing from Crystal's halberd.

They were locked in a deadlock, both glaring at each other. "Why do you strive for revenge on soul reapers that have never even wronged you?" Crystal asked, curious. "The ones who wronged you are probably mostly dead by now. All this violence could be avoided easily."

"No," Kaede answered flatly. "All soul reapers must pay. We were outcasts because of our special condition and out-casted even more after we were made into visoreds. All of the seireitei needs to pay, and if you can't understand that, then you should die too!"

She parried Crystal's halberd and jumped back, sword at the ready. She looked over to her sister, who was currently dodging a flurry of scythe slashes from Raven, his shikai having been released around the same time as Crystal's. Rei jumped back as Raven calmed down and stood back to back with her sister.

Kaede looked troubled. 'Rei, did we do the right thing, killing those soul reapers?' she thought. 'I mean, they did deserve it, didn't they?' Rei was shocked with Kaede's thoughts, but reassured her. 'No, whatever crap Crystal is feeding you is just a lie,' she replied. 'We did the right thing. They all deserve death for what they put us through.'

Kaede nodded and turned to Crystal, who had her halberd over her shoulder, wearing a glare that shook Kaede slightly. Rei looked at Raven, whose scythe was slung over his shoulder, and who seemed like he was enjoying the fight greatly.

Kaede and Rei turned to each other swiftly and clashed swords, a large wave of sound erupting from the clash, pulsating into Raven and Crystal. They were caught by it and flew into the rock walls of the room, making them groan in pain.

"And now we finish it!" Rei yelled, confidently. "Let's do it, Kaede. Bankai..." Kaede nodded and touched her sword with Rei's, placing her palm on Rei's free palm also. "Bankai, Futagoza Kyousoukyoku!" they yelled together. Their swords disappeared in a blast of spiritual energy, and they were replaced by four long staffs, two for each, a large blade affixed to both ends of them all.

Raven struggled up from where he had landed and looked at shock at them both. "You... you're stronger now..." he stuttered. "But... that's only possible if..." He stopped and stood up, looking at them darkly.

"Your bankai is stronger this time around because you had contact with each other when performing it, am I correct?" he asked. Rei nodded confidently at him, making him curse under his breath.

"And to think I didn't see this coming..." he muttered. "I must be losing my touch for battle strategies..." Kaede was confused. "What do you mean, Raven?" she asked, curious. Raven smirked. "Well, your extra power means that the first sixteen strategies I had to defeat you are all flawed now," he explained, Crystal standing up finally, nodding in response.

"Yeah, we had like forty-six plans to take you out, even more depending on the environment, but now a few are going to have to be laid to rest," she added, sounding slightly disheartened. "But hey, let's go for strategy twenty-three, huh?"

Raven nodded and disappeared, Crystal doing the same. Kaede and Rei growled as they attempted to search for their spiritual energies. "Where are they?" Rei asked, irritated. "I can't sense them!" Kaede realised something and gasped. "Raven's shikai helps him hide spiritual energies!" she yelled, Rei's eyes widening in realisation.

They were interrupted from their train of thought as two large kido blades flew in from either side of them, forcing them to separate to avoid them. With that, Crystal and Raven took the opening and flash-stepped in, blades at the ready. They slashed down at their respective opponents, Kaede seeing the attack coming and blocking, whereas Rei was slashed in the abdomen, forcing her to the ground beneath her.

She landed on her back, rolling over to cough blood up. Kaede landed on the ground and ran up to her to see to her wounds. Raven and Crystal landed at the same time, Raven glancing at his partner.

"Don't let them touch, they'll heal!" he yelled, Crystal nodding in response, running up to slice them away from each other. Her blade barely missed Kaede's arm, but did the job, separating Kaede from Rei yet again.

"Sister, come help me!" Rei yelled, struggling to stand, using her staffs as support. Kaede glared at Crystal and touched her blades together. She charged the energy and released it, the wave of sound hitting Crystal squarely in the side, forcing her into the wall opposite. Raven growled and rushed in to counterattack, however Kaede was ready for him. She sidestepped his scythe slash and cut across his abdomen with her twin blades, forming an x-shaped wound which erupted with blood.

Raven fell back, and Kaede took this chance to run to Rei and tend to her. She placed her hand on Rei's cheek and stroked it, an aura surrounding them both. She smiled as Rei started to get up on her own. "Don't you just love our quick regeneration abilities?" she asked her.

Rei smirked as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Of course I do, sis," she giggled, looking over to Raven, who was almost unconscious. "I love the fact that we can keep on fighting whilst these losers die so quickly!"

Crystal got up slowly, steadying herself with her weapon. She glanced over to the fallen Raven and glared. She raised her halberd and growled before yelling "Bankai! Shirohane Youshatenshi!" Her halberd was surrounded in a bright light as it split into the two axes, a gem at the centre of each. Her pure white wings grew from her back and her aura sparkled as she kept her focus on Kaede and Rei. "You've hurt Raven!" she spat. "And for that, I'll kill you!"

* * *

The lieutenants, now finished with their fight with Yuki, continued on their way to Kenji's castle, the sandstorm having died down since Yuki had died. "So it was probably that arrancar who caused the sandstorm, right?" Renji asked the others, who in turn nodded.

"Come on, Renji," Zeo mocked, "we all knew this way before your little brain figured it out." Renji growled and grabbed Zeo by the collar, bringing him to his face. "You watch what you say, Oseomartir..." Renji threatened, eyeing him menacingly. "I'm still cautious with the fact you are a part of the seireitei. You wouldn't want me to snap and kill you would you?"

Zeo snarled back. "Point taken, Abarai..." he muttered, Renji letting go of him. He straightened his uniform before continuing to walk. Their glares were interrupted as Rangiku stopped still, hands covering her mouth.

"What if they couldn't save him?" she asked, hysterically. "I've never seen Captain Hitsugaya that badly beaten up! Captain Unohana has limits, right? What if he is out of her control now? I can't lose him!"

Rukia wrapped her arm around her back and reassured her. "Captain Unohana and Isane are both highly skilled at what they do, Rangiku," she soothed. "Captain Hitsugaya will be alright, no doubt about it."

Zeo and Renji looked at Rangiku, who was close to tears, and then to each other. "Zeo..." Renji started, "I think we should call a truce until this is finished." Zeo nodded. "Agreed, Renji," he replied, sincerely.

"About time," Naomi snapped at them, albeit quietly. "Rangiku could break down at any moment and here you two are arguing with each other all the time over nothing! We are here for each other, and we should all drop our egos and make sure Rangiku is alright, alright?"

Zeo and Renji nodded slowly, both surprised they had been spoken down to, but were both made aware of a spiritual pressure nearby. "Arrancar, definitely," Zeo muttered, pupils slightly narrowed.

"Yeah, it's close," Renji added, gripping his sword. "We should either get out of here before it comes or get ready for its arrival. Which one?" Naomi looked into the distance in thought, then looked back at them both.

"We wait here to meet it," she answered. "This arrancar is most obviously a replacement for Yuki, so we need to defeat them too, right?" Renji and Zeo nodded in agreement, Shuhei also agreeing after hearing the situation.

Naomi walked up to Rukia, her arm still comforting Rangiku. "We have an arrancar approaching," she said to them, Rukia nodding. "I can feel it," she replied. "Are we staying to meet it here?"

Naomi nodded in reply. "Yeah, we think this arrancar is Yuki's replacement, so we're going to stay and meet them. If you want to take Rangiku away, you can. I'm sure the four of us can take care of this attacker."

Rangiku stopped her from continuing. "No," she whispered. "We're staying, because that is what Captain Hitsugaya would want. He'd want us to protect the Soul Society until the end. I won't fail him, especially when he's in the condition we left him in."

Naomi nodded, understanding. "Alright then, we need to find some cover to jump this arrancar, then," she answered, smiling. Rukia was confused. "Cover? An ambush?" she asked.

Naomi nodded. "If my brother has taught me anything about battles, it's that a good strategy makes for a sound victory, and this case is no different," she smiled.

* * *

Crystal's bankai shone bright, forcing Kaede and Rei to raise their arms to their eyes. "This light is too intense..." Rei stammered, shutting her eyes immediately. Kaede squinted through the light to see that Crystal had moved.

She closed her eyes to sense Crystal's spiritual pressure, and swiped to her left just as Crystal came in to attack. Crystal glared at her as she blocked Crystal's axe. "The more level-headed sister, right?" she asked, unable to see Kaede properly herself. Kaede smirked when she heard this.

"You mean you can't see that well either?" she asked. "You're hindered as much as we are!" she laughed, slicing at Crystal, who had disappeared. She growled and attempted to find her spiritual pressure yet again, but couldn't now. 'What?' she thought. 'Where the hell did she go?'

"She went nowhere," echoed an emotionless voice. "Her spiritual pressure, however..." it trailed off, making Kaede realise what had happened. She grabbed her sister and flash-stepped to the side of the room to avoid and barrage of black kido blades which indented the ground behind her.

The light from Crystal's bankai calmed down, only after they heard a dark "Bankai, Kurohane Kujotenshi!" The light was replaced with a heavy darkness that cloaked the room, emanating from Raven's scythe, which had lengthened, a kunai visible from the bottom of the staff. His wings had now formed, beating confidently, and his smirk had come back.

Crystal stood next to him, her sparkling aura blending with his own dark aura, creating a starry abyss where they crossed. "Our bankais now blend with each other quite well, don't you think?" Crystal smiled at Kaede, who was sweating with anxiety.

Rei had now regained her senses and raised her blades, crossing them over. "Come on Kaede, let's give them something to remember!" she yelled, Kaede nodding in response. She crossed her own over her sister's, the four blades glowing bright. "Baikyuu Otonami!" they yelled, the aura gathering into a large energy ball.

"Dosuu, 50%!" they added, the energy flying into Raven and Crystal as a beam. They smirked and raised their own weapons, Crystal creating a barrier of light with hers, and Raven spinning his to form a makeshift shield. Rei glanced at her sister. 'Raise it to Dosuu 100%!' she yelled in their minds. Kaede was shocked, but nodded.

"Dosuu, 100%!" they yelled together, the energy beam doubling in power, pushing both Crystal and Raven into the wall after shattering Crystal's barrier and overwhelming Raven. The beam suddenly shook and blew up, sending both Kaede and Rei into the wall opposite Raven and Crystal.

Raven smirked as he saw this. 'Excellent, everything is going to plan,' he thought to himself. 'I knew Dosuu 100% was obtainable to them, and I had a feeling it would overload after continued use, as it looks like it uses large amounts of energy. Now all that we have to do is finish them off when in their weakened states.'

Raven and Crystal were now stood, fairly shaken by the high frequency Otonami, but stable enough to stand. They both raised their weapons, ready for the final strikes. Raven nodded to Crystal, who lowered her axes slightly.

"Kurotsuki Shinkuuyaiba!" he yelled, spinning his scythe around him, kunai floating out and surrounding him in a dome shape. As he continued to spin the scythe, black kido blades shot out, taking the kunai with them, flying out across the whole room. Kaede and Rei, also shaken, saw this coming and both raised their bladed staffs. "Hakyoku no Ongaku!" they yelled in tandem, spinning their weapons swiftly, sound waves exploding from each individual weapon and sending the combined attack from Raven back at him.

They both smiled as his kunai almost met his own body, until a large barrier of light stopped them. Rei quickly looked at Crystal, who was smirking. She then raised her hand and chanted "Bakudo 73, Himori!" A lance of light suddenly erupted in front of Rei's chest, aiming to skewer her.

Kaede however, swiftly ran in and pushed Rei out of the way, being jousted in her chest. Rei looked on in shock as Kaede fell to her knees, lance of light visible through her torso. "Kaede..." Rei whispered, as Kaede attempted to get the lance out of her.

Crystal's face fell, her eyes almost in mourning, and she raised her axes. "Shiro Taiyou Kiyome..." she said, solemnly. She slashed her first axe down, then followed it with a slash across from her second, waves of light swinging from them and hitting Kaede squarely in the back.

The two waves crossed as they hit Kaede and she fell forward on the ground. The cross of light glowed and she started to scream in agony. Rei rushed to her side and held her by the shoulders.

"Come on sis," Rei reassured her. "Calm down and I'll heal us with our resonating." Rei closed her eyes and attempted to heal them both, but when the aura passed, Kaede was still screaming in pain.

"What?" Rei yelled in confusion. "Why aren't you better? Kaede! Come on! Heal!" Crystal stepped forward, looking on mournfully. "I apologise," she started, "but you cannot heal her. That cross is my Shiro Taiyou Kiyome, and it purifies all those created with malice and negativity. You visoreds are the very sort it purifies. There is nothing you can do for her now."

* * *

The group of lieutenants had found some cover in the form of three large rocks, and had hidden behind them in waiting for the coming arrancar. They waited, Rukia and Rangiku behind one, Shuhei and Renji behind another and Naomi and Zeo behind the last.

Naomi smiled suddenly and Zeo turned to her, knowingly. "You can feel it too, right?" he whispered. "Captain Ruhodesu and Captain Kyoraku have the upper hand now, don't they?"

Naomi nodded. "I knew my brother could pull it off," she smiled. Then she giggled slightly. "He probably had like fifty million different strategies with which to beat them with too!" Shuhei smirked slightly too. 'Captain Kyoraku,' he thought. 'It's good that you're still alive, and more than that, winning. Let's hope it stays that way.'

They all tensed up as they heard footsteps drowned in the sand, coming nearer to their location. They awaited the footsteps as they stopped in the middle of the three rocks, and a female voice called out to them laced with venom.

"Come out already, idiots," she spat. "So I can finish you off, get it over and done with, then go home and rest, alright?" Naomi growled and stood up to come out of hiding. She stepped out, Zeo behind her, and stared down the new arrancar.

She wore the normal arrancar uniform, except it was totally black. Her mask remains made up a bone necklace and skull earrings, and her long, black hair was parted down the middle. She wore heavy black eyeliner and black lipstick, and her eyes looked extremely dull and lifeless.

"I am Yukari Nosaka's top clan member, Ai Yoshida," the arrancar, Ai, answered. "And I was sent here to retrieve you all. Dead or alive, Kenji made no preference."

* * *

Rei held Kaede in her hands, not willing to let go. "Kaede, don't die on me..." Rei cried. "I don't know what I'd do without you, you know that right?" Kaede felt the lance of light still embedded in her chest and turned to her sister.

"Rei," she started, "I don't think it needed to be this way..." she trailed off. Rei looked at her in shock. "What are you talking about?" she answered. Kaede coughed up blood, but continued. "I think that we could've got revenge without killing innocent people..." she explained. "I don't know about you, but I feel guilty. Guilty about those soul reapers from before, guilty about all the people over the years that we've killed for our own personal pleasure..."

Rei was speechless as Kaede gasped her last breath before the purifying power enveloped her and she dissolved into grains of light, dissipating from Rei's hands. Rei started to cry heavily, bringing her hands to her face.

Raven stepped up to her, scythe pointing her way. "What did I tell you, Rei?" he said, solemnly. "I said that you wouldn't want to make me a fallen angel, as I'd fight with everything I have, and I did, and the same with Crystal. We both had a rough plan of this from the start." Rei looked up into his cold eyes and shivered.

"We knew that your sister was the more compassionate one, and would come to regret the senseless killing eventually, with a little philosophical talk from us, and would also aid you if your life were ever in danger. Since you two are so close, and you are the one who is so emotionally unstable, the loss of your sister would shatter your soul, leaving you without a reason to live, am I correct?"

Rei nodded weakly, looking back to her hands where her sister had just disappeared from. "I can't feel her anymore..." Rei whispered. "She's not here... but she's always here... this can't be..."

"I told you that we'd fight with everything we had, and we did," Raven explained. "I told you that since you had killed innocents, I had no sympathy for you, and I didn't. This was your own fault. Because of your bloodlust, your sister is now dead, and you cannot fight anymore."

His eyes fell as he continued. "War really does bring despair. I've known this for years, but only when I joined Squad 3 did I completely understand this," he said, reflectively. "All zanpakutos of Squad 3 describe different aspects of despair in war, but Crystal's happens to do the exact opposite..."

Crystal stepped forward. "We will give you a chance to repent for your sins however," she said, solemnly. "I can purify your soul too, so you could meet your sister again in a new life."

Rei looked at her, hopelessness in her eyes. "I'll do whatever you want!" she cried, spreading her arms. "Kill me if you must, just let my sister and I be together again!" Raven turned and nodded to Crystal, who sighed.

"Shiro Taiyou Kiyome..." she whispered, signalling a cross with her hand, the cross then appearing on Rei's forehead. Rei smiled as she wept as she started to dissolve into grains of light. "Wait up, Kaede..." she whispered. "I'm coming for you..."

She drew her last breath before exploding into grains of light which floated up and dissipated in the air. Crystal deactivated her bankai and buried her head in Raven's chest, extremely upset.

"In the end, they were just normal sisters who were unnaturally hurt by the world," she whispered. "They didn't truly deserve all of this." Raven sighed. "They obviously didn't know that I have had the same hardship – being judged an outcast by Soul Society. However, I waited until they accepted me again, whereas these two went for their acceptance by force, and force always leads to despair..."

* * *

_The deaths of Kaede and Rei come with reluctance from Crystal. It's another victory for Soul Society, it seems, but now a new arrancar, Ai, has tracked down the lost lieutenants, and she may be more powerful than she seems._

**_Next chapter: Ai gets to the point and releases her zanpakuto straight away, whilst in Kenji's 'castle', Kenpachi and Maya appear and start their final battle. Read all this in the next chapter 'Break The Limit'._**


	34. Break The Limit

**Chapter 33 – Break The Limit**

Kenpachi took a step through the garganta and into a large stone room, topped off with a large domed ceiling. Maya let go of his hand and ran over to the opposite end of the room, giggling.

"Yay, Maya found you and now we can fight!" she cheered. "Maya wants a rematch from the last two times! This time Maya is going to beat you for sure, Mr. Captain!" Kenpachi smirked in response.

"Alright then, mod soul," he laughed. "You're on! A sort of rubber match, you could say, right? Definitely!" Maya shook her head and giggled. "No, nothing like that!" she smiled back. "You haven't won a single one, so you can't call this a rubber match, Mr. Captain!"

Kenpachi smirked and then glared at her. "Fair enough," he growled. "Let me change that then, huh?" Maya nodded and gestured with her arms, her tanto falling from them into her hands.

"Maya's ready!" she yelled, raising her blades. Kenpachi laughed and rushed forward, slashing at Maya's abdomen, but she instantly disappeared. She reappeared just above him, smiling, and slashed down with both of her blades, cutting deep into his flesh, blood erupting from the dual wounds.

Maya jumped back into an aggressive stance whilst Kenpachi staggered and smirked slightly. "Not bad, mod soul, not bad at all," he complimented. "I see you haven't lost your touch at all! Well, that's good, as I want the best fight I've ever had! Can you give that to me?"

Maya smiled and nodded. "Whatever Mr. Captain wants, Maya will give, alright?" she replied, her eyes full of dark intent. She exhaled deeply, two more 'Mayas' appearing next to her. They too giggled and all three disappeared swiftly.

Kenpachi concentrated around him, searching for where she was appearing, but started to get impatient. 'Aw come on, stop hiding kid!' he thought. 'This isn't funny or interesting!'

As if to answer his remark, Maya appeared underneath him, delivering a stern kick to his jaw, sending him airborne. Another 'Maya' appeared to meet him in the air, placing her palm on his chest. "Dimensional Wall 4: Repulsion!" she yelled, a large blast of energy separating the two, sending Kenpachi back into the stone wall.

A large crater was created in the impact, and Kenpachi started to fall to the ground, but not before the third 'Maya' appeared in front of him and smiled. "Dimensional Blast 1: Eruption..." she whispered, sweetly. Her outstretched palm glowed with red energy and as large explosion of the red energy suddenly sparked, burning into Kenpachi's chest.

He roared in surprise as the energy died down, falling to the ground in a heap. Maya appeared, flanked by the other two 'Mayas' and all three giggled before her future selves disappeared. She stepped forward and crouched down to check if Kenpachi was still breathing, and was surprised as his fist suddenly clenched around his sword.

He quickly stood up and slashed, Maya being taken off-guard and receiving a large gash on her chest for her troubles. She fell backwards in surprise and yelled out in pain. She felt the wound that had appeared and flinched as it stung – she could feel it.

'No, no, no!' she thought, panicked. 'Maya can only hurt if Maya is cut really deep. How can he do that with such a blind attack?' Kenpachi chuckled slightly, catching her attention back.

"Heh, well it was a shot in the dark, I admit," he laughed. "I was aiming for your soul candy in that body of yours... I figured that if you're finishing it quick, I might as well too, but it seems I missed a bit, huh?"

Maya was shocked, but regained her composure, standing tall. Her wound started to heal rapidly, although it was still visible – the depth of the cut hindering her regeneration slightly.

"I think I might take this fight seriously now actually," he continued, "As that combo of yours really got me worried. I mean, what good am I in a fight if I'm dead, right?" Maya smirked back. "You're right, Mr. Captain," she giggled. "You'd be useless, so why doesn't Maya make sure that happens?"

She disappeared again, but Kenpachi sighed. "A hiding game again? Alright..." he moaned. He closed his eyes, and as Maya scratched her shoe on the stone slightly, he slashed immediately, taking her by surprise. His sword was now in a deadlock with both of Maya's tanto, which she held with all of her energy to stop his strike.

"You felt Maya's presence?" Maya asked, shocked. Kenpachi smirked. "Of course not, girl," he answered. "I was never good at that crap. Instead, I listened out for your movements and slashed where I heard you. Simple, right?"

Maya growled and backed off, raising her tanto again. 'Maya really needs to end this...' she thought. 'Maya has a limited amount of energy for Maya's powers, and if Mr. Captain says he's going to finish this quick and Maya wastes too much energy defending Maya, Maya'll be in trouble.'

Kenpachi grasped his hilt even tighter to block out the pain from the wounds and burns, smiling even wider at Maya, who glared back. She raised both of her palms and smiled, large balls of energy forming around them both in a large circle. Beams of energy erupted from them and connected one to the next, forming a large circular chain around them.

"Dimensional Blast 4: Chain Detonation!" she yelled, smirking. Kenpachi looked around at the new energy-made contraption and shrugged it off. "Nothing special," he mumbled. "I'm still going to win this..."

'If you only knew, Mr. Captain," she thought, menacingly. 'If you only knew...' She then started to giggle wildly as the energy spheres started to hum with power.

* * *

Ai scowled as Naomi introduced herself. "I am Naomi Ruhodesu, Lieutenant of Squad 5," she said, politely. She then gestured to Zeo. "This is Zeo Oseomartir, 3rd Seat of Squad 3."

Ai looked at Zeo and was unimpressed. "Oh yes, an arrancar from the previous generation, how disappointing," she sighed. "Why does life always lead me to annoying situations like this?"

Naomi glared slightly, irritated. "Come on, let's fight!" she yelled. "That's what you're here for right?" Ai looked at her, slightly surprised at her outburst, but sighed again.

"I guess..." she muttered, drawing her sword. "Oh yeah, the rest of you can come out too..."she called out, Renji, Shuhei, Rangiku and Rukia stepping out from behind the rocks, glaring at her.

"Alright, so get on with it!" Renji yelled, impatient. Ai sighed, growling slightly. "Stop rushing me, soul reaper scum!" she snapped back. Renji stood back slightly at the comment, Ai turning back to Naomi and Zeo.

"I want to face you two, if that's alright with everyone," she began. "Facing more than two people means more work, and that's just a waste of energy..." She raised her sword and sighed. "Alright then... Breathe, Renacimiento..." she said, her voice devoid of emotion.

She pointed her sword at her own chest – where her heart would be – and plunged it in deep, her sword then erupting in a blast of spiritual energy. Her form changed, her normal arrancar garb was shredded as a dress made of bone replaced it, jutting out from her skin. Blood red wings of bone jutted out from the back of her dress, making her seem demonic in a way.

She took her sword out of her chest and swiped it, removing her blood from the blade. However, the blade now seemed to be _made_ out of blood. Her bone necklace had now lengthened and impaled itself into her back and chest, drawing blood. Her earrings were the same, but now regularly dripped blood.

"Do you see my resurrection?" she asked, bored. "This shows that life is meaningless... we all die in the end, so why bother do anything of worth? I imitated killing myself just to attain more power, and at what cost? There's not much that I actually want to do in this form, but I have orders..."

"Are you serious?" Naomi snapped. "Life is the most important thing in the world! My zanpakuto's name should say it all: Kozumikkikouken Seireitenshi. It is a guardian of life and everything that lives!"

Ai sighed again, her eyes still dull and lifeless. "Let's just get this over with alright?" she said, irritated. She slashed her sword down, blood splattering on the sand and being absorbed into it.

"My resurrection's power..." she said, flatly. "This blood can absorbed into any material, and then find a genetic signature. My powers can then bring life back to that genetic code, allowing that organism to fight for me... and it appears I have found someone who was killed recently..."

A large clawed hand rose up from the sand, grasping at the air. "I'm sure you remember Yuki, right?" Ai asked, gesturing at the now-emerging arrancar. He looked like he did when alive, except now he had blank eyes and a snarl over his face. His hair was now dyed, or rather stained, blood red, giving him a demonic appearance.

"Do it for me, Yuki," Ai ordered. "You always did follow orders like a good little lab rat..." Yuki growled and lunged forward, Naomi blocking with ease with her blade. "Come on, that the best you've got?" she asked him, but no reply came out.

Ai sighed. "I did say I can bring them back to life..." she began. "But I didn't say I could return their souls... he's just an empty cadaver." She gestured, and Yuki smirked, clapping his hands together. A large charge of energy blasted from the clap, sending Naomi flying back.

This made Renji angry. "What kind of sick power is this?" he yelled. "Can't you let him rest? He may have been an arrancar but even they deserve peace in death!" Ai scoffed at his comment.

"No, you don't understand see..." she started. "Life is all about dying. That's what it all leads up to. So what's the point in living if you're just going to die, and what's the point in dying if I just bring them back to work for me?"

Renji growled. "Bankai, Hihio Zabimaru!" he yelled, his sword lengthening out into the giant bone snake, which roared behind him. It lunged forward at Yuki, who smirked as it did. Shuhei's eyes widened.

"Renji, don't you remember what happened last time?" he yelled, Renji realising what he meant a second too late. Yuki raised his palm, blocking Hihio Zabimaru's charge. Suddenly, the snake disappeared after shaking for a second, and Renji looked on bewildered.

"Not again, damn!" he cursed. Ai nodded and Yuki used sonido to appear behind Renji, slashing at him with his claws, driving him to his knees. Shuhei then came in with a swift roundhouse kick, but was caught easily by Yuki's large claws. Yuki then raised his claw, Shuhei with it, and tossed him away like a ragdoll.

Naomi had now stood back up again, with Zeo's help, and growled as she saw Ai ignoring the fighting that was occurring. She smirked. "Well, if they fight for you, you're going to be in a bad physical state, right?" she mused.

She flash-stepped swiftly to Ai's side and stabbed forward, but Ai retaliated, blocking with her blade. "You appear to jump to conclusions too much, soul reapers..." Ai muttered. "Just because I didn't say I fought myself, doesn't mean it's not true..."

Naomi growled. "Lying bitch..." she muttered darkly. Ai cracked a slight smile. "I didn't lie, idiot," she answered. "I just didn't tell you the whole truth." Suddenly Zeo appeared behind her and slashed down with his sword, forcing Ai to break her deadlock and flip back to a safe distance.

"Huh..." she started. "If I'm going to be outnumbered, then I'll need to do something drastic..." She gestured to Yuki, who nodded and walked up to her. They each outstretched a hand and started to then walk into each other, their bodies melding with each other's.

After a light had come and gone, a new form stood before them. This was Yuki, except he now had black eyes. His hair was longer and black, and blood red wings of bone jutted out of his back. He also held Ai's sword, which still dripped blood.

"I have fused with my warrior, surprised?" came Ai's voice, distorted as it came out of Yuki's mouth. "And please, do not bother referring to me as a pronoun in this form, as even I don't know. Although, now my power has nearly doubled, so I think I can end all of your miserable lives before you find out how useless you really are..."

* * *

Maya vanished, appearing swiftly at Kenpachi's side with both tanto ready to strike. Kenpachi quickly counterattacked, raising his sword to block both blades before twisting it around to parry, knocking Maya off-balance. As she staggered in midair, Kenpachi stabbed forward, skewering Maya's abdomen and sending her into the stone wall, missing the energy chain by an inch, falling to the floor in pain.

She gritted her teeth and stood up, flinching. She then vanished yet again, before four of her appeared on either side of Kenpachi, tanto ready. They all stabbed at once, Kenpachi only having enough time to block the attacks of two of them, both disappearing as the other two dug their blades deep into his flesh.

Then Maya appeared before him and smiled, placing her forefingers on his forehead. As she was ready to speak, Kenpachi swung wildly, forcing her away. "I remember what that move does, kid," he spoke. "There's no way I'm letting you do it again!"

Maya giggled. "Looks like you're smarter than you look, Mr. Captain," she smiled. "Maya is beginning to like you. Too bad it's too late." She disappeared yet again, reappearing above Kenpachi, blades in hand.

"Vacuum Blade!" she yelled, crossing her tanto in an X-formation and slicing down, an X-shaped beam of energy being created. It flew down at speed to meet Kenpachi, who raised his sword to block, but the wave of energy still rippled past it, shredding into his skin and clothing.

"Now you've done it..." Kenpachi said, slightly humoured. Maya was shocked. "What?" she asked. "What did Maya do?" she pouted, now facing Kenpachi's back. Kenpachi turned around quickly, showing that his eye-patch was now missing.

"You just made my eye-patch's strap break!" he yelled, amused. "Now there's no way I can hold back, even if I wanted to!" He quickly moved, blurring out of sight. As he slashed, Maya felt a wave of pain pass through her body before she flew headfirst to the ground in a heap.

"See?" Kenpachi roared. "What did I tell you? I can't hold back now, I have nothing to stop me from killing you!" Maya panted as she stood up, her wounds healing much slower than usual.

'No!' she yelled in her head. 'No more energy for healing! Need energy for attacking! Mr. Captain is getting really strong now, Maya needs to relocate all energy for Dimensional Blasts and Dimension Eruptions!'

She exhaled deeply, three 'Mayas' appearing next to her. "Alright, this one is for you Mat..." she whispered, all four vanishing. Kenpachi smirked as he waited, lowering his sword to his side. As Maya came to attack him from each side, Kenpachi smiled and took a stance.

He fuelled all of his spiritual energy into one blast, and it erupted around him like a hurricane. All four Mayas were taken in by the blast and shredded by its ferociousness, all falling back to the edge of the allotted area.

Three disappeared on contact with the ground, whilst Maya was merely overwhelmed as hundreds of cuts erupted on her flesh, as a link to her other selves who had also been cut. She screamed in pain and keeled over, writhing in agony. "Maya hurts!" she screamed. "How can Maya hurt? Maya is a mod soul! Mat, come and help Maya! Please!" she begged, Kenpachi walking up to her fallen form.

"What a sad sight..." he muttered, "An opponent begging for their lives. Although I guess she is just a kid. It still angers me that I have to do this though..." He raised his sword and attempted to finish it, but Maya's eyes suddenly opened and her palm rose up and pointed at the ceiling.

"Dimension Eruption!" she yelled, a large ball of unstable energy growing above them both. It pulsated at irregular times, sending out waves of energy whenever it did. Kenpachi looked up, a slight look of intrigue on his face.

"I've seen this before..." he muttered. "This was used when Ikkaku and Yumichika lost to you, and back when Mayuri had you almost beat. I still don't like the look of it." Maya smiled.

"Well, you shouldn't Mr. Captain," she said sweetly. "It will kill you, Maya, and everyone else in a 2 mile radius, at least. And that's not all..." she smirked. Suddenly, she had vanished from under Kenpachi's blade and was now nowhere to be seen.

A voice could be heard echoing throughout the room. "Vacuum Twister!" she yelled, stabs of blade into flesh being heard rapidly one after another as Maya cut into Kenpachi. As he stood there, completely taken by surprise, he was slowly being lifted closer and closer to the sphere of energy at the top of the room.

Before Maya could land the last blow, however, she stopped. Kenpachi, unable to keep himself airborne, fell to the ground with a loud thud, blood seeping from the hundreds of wounds just made.

Maya stayed airborne, energy crackling down her limbs and across her body. "Mat!" she yelled, in complete fear. "Maya's used too much energy! Maya needs help! Mat, come and save Maya please!" Maya started to cry uncontrollably. "Maya doesn't want to die! All Maya wanted was a family, but Soul Society threw Maya out for being a mod soul! Maya knows that Mat isn't the best role model... but Mat was the closest thing Maya had to family..."

Kenpachi gazed up at the immobilised Maya in the air, unable to move himself. 'She only wanted a family?' he asked himself. 'Such a miserable story... I'm a sucker for those stories... especially when told by little girls...'

Maya started to glow wildly, the sphere above her and the spheres around them both glowing in time with her. As the glowing got more regular, the pulses of energy got stronger. In a desperate attempt, Maya pleaded with Kenpachi. "Mr. Captain, please don't let Maya die, alright?" she begged. "Just let Maya live! Maya won't even be evil anymore! Maya just doesn't want to die!"

It was too late. Maya took her last breath before the sphere above her erupted in a blast of energy, this setting off the spheres surrounding them both, detonating in a chain reaction. The room started to cave in and both Maya and Kenpachi were buried under the rocks that fell.

* * *

Ai, in Yuki's body, blocked another attack from Naomi's blade as the two continued to face off. Zeo rushed in with an attack of his own, but Ai grabbed his blade and an aura surrounded it. It suddenly vanished, before a roar could be heard from behind them.

"Ah, it seems his bankai is back," Ai said, her voice becoming even more distorted the longer she spent in Yuki's body, "Which means I'm yet again at a disadvantage..." She then flipped backwards and onto the largest rock to get some distance between her and the lieutenants.

"But have I said this?" she started. "I am limited to bringing back those who are weaker or are equal in strength to me..." Naomi growled. "Yeah, you seem to like keeping important information to yourself."

Ai ignored this and continued. "Well, when I fuse with one I control, my power increases, correct?" Naomi nodded, and Zeo looked puzzled at her. Ai sighed. "Come on, can you not get it?" she asked. "I can now bring back someone who was stronger than me, but now I am stronger than them..."

"Wait..." Shuhei started. "I felt a spiritual pressure before we arrived. It was like Captain Kurotsuchi was fighting it, and won. The thing is, it was a lot stronger than this girl's, so I wrote it off, but if she's become stronger..." he trailed off.

Rukia finished the sentence for him. "She can revive them, or just about anyone if she continues to fuse with stronger corpses! She's unbeatable!" Ai sighed and gestured to the ground, swiping her sword at it. The blood splattered on it and was absorbed into it, before a hand suddenly burst out of the desert again.

Another hand emerged, followed by another. Another three hands emerged after them, all pulling the entire torso out of the sand. It was Kiseki Kiryu, his once black eyes now lifeless and his hair now blood red. He reached down into the sands and pulled out six large cleavers, one for each of his arms.

"This," Ai started, "is Kiseki Kiryu, Cuarto Cabellero of Kenji's army, and your doom..." Kiseki smirked and took a stance with his blades, sand floating up from the desert and being absorbed into his body.

* * *

_And yet another battle comes to an end. On the other hand, Ai's rebirthing power seems almost infinite, so how will anyone be able to stop her? Kenji's team now consists of only himself and Ai, and victory seems so close for Soul Society, but what tricks does Kenji have up his sleeve?_

**_Next chapter: Ai attempts to defeat all of the lieutenants herself, with help from her zombie slaves, and with Kiseki on her side now, it may be possible for her to slay everyone in Hueco Mundo. She stands as the last line of defense before Kenji, and this all occurs in the next chapter, 'Reanimation'._**


	35. Reanimation

**Chapter 34 – Reanimation**

The lieutenants stepped back slightly as Kiseki glared at them, smirking darkly. His presence chilled them to the core, and they couldn't move out of fear. His spiritual pressure held them to the ground as he slowly stepped forward, all six arms stretching out for their flesh.

Ai sighed and turned to walk away, bored with her prey. She suddenly flipped out of the way as Hihio Zabimaru crashed into the rock she was stood on, reducing it to rubble. She turned and saw a cocky Renji smirking at her, which she ignored.

"Kiseki..." she started. "Um, I mean, Master Kiryu, sir," she corrected, "please kill these fools for me. I can't bring myself to do it you see – too much hassle." Kiseki looked back at her, snarling, but turned back to the lieutenants and licked his lips.

"Just like it was my destiny to die," he chuckled, "it seems it was also my destiny to come back to kill you losers." He then pondered for a moment, before finishing. "Destiny is quite tricky, isn't it? One moment you think it works in your favour, and the next you find yourself on the wrong end of six bloodied blades." He gestured to his cleavers, which shimmered under the moon.

Ai was shocked. 'He can speak?' she asked herself. 'Does that mean his death was under abnormal conditions? Only then is the soul stuck to the body so tight that I cannot separate them...' Kiseki still stood, smirking. "Tough luck, losers," he laughed, exploding into grains of sand.

Rukia was taken aback at what he had done, and looked around instantly, expecting a sneak attack. She then spotted the sand behind Rangiku rising up slowly, and ran to grab her arm, pulling her back.

Kiseki rose up swiftly from the sand, scowling. "Clever girl," he complimented. "You obviously figured out that I can become sand, and integrate myself into other bodies of sand. But you never saw this coming..."

Under his uniform, a large tail shot out, piercing Rukia through the chest. She fell helplessly to her knees, a blank look on her face, blood dripping from her mouth. Rangiku looked at her, shock overcoming her. Renji growled and ran up to Kiseki, slashing down with his bankai, Hihio Zabimaru charging into Kiseki's body.

Kiseki took the shot, all six arms catching Hihio Zabimaru's jaws and holding them in place. Renji's eyes opened in shock. 'He took my attack?' he thought. 'How strong is this guy? This is impossible.'

Renji snapped back to reality and gestured back, his bankai following suit. He then readied his hilt and raised it, glaring at Kiseki. "Higa Zekko!" he yelled, the large snake splitting into its separate pieces and floating in the air. They slowly surrounded Kiseki, who stood watching, amused.

They suddenly sharpened and rushed in to skewer him, but he merely laughed it off. "Come now, I know you know you can't hurt me!" he chuckled, dissolving into the desert below, reforming behind Renji.

"And I know you fear me because of that!" He swiftly took all six cleavers and slashed them across Renji's chest, throwing blood over the desert and forcing Renji to his knees. Kiseki then kicked him squarely on the back of the neck, knocking him out instantly.

Ai sighed. "Well, I think that proves that you idiots have no chance against me," she said flatly. "I did say that your efforts were futile, but you didn't listen did you?" Naomi glared at her.

"Shut the hell up, would you?" she growled, making Ai turn her way. "You just love the sound of your own voice, don't you?" she yelled. "I bet you can't even back up your own words!"

Ai looked at her blankly. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll take you up on that offer." She raised her, Yuki's, fist and rushed at Naomi, energy forming in the palm. Naomi raised her sword and whispered "Bankai, Kozumikkikouken Seireitenshi..." As the twin-bladed bardiche formed, she swiftly blocked, but the energy pulsed from Ai's palm and forced Naomi back a fair distance.

She looked Ai, or rather Yuki, directly in the eye. She shuddered. All she saw was an abyss. 'Damn, this girl knows how to fight,' she thought. 'And her powers freak me out majorly. She's quite strong now... but that's going to work against her in the end."

Ai looked to be thinking to herself also, and then looked directly at Naomi, slightly surprised. "Ah I see," she said, "you can absorb energy from attacks and send it back to your opponent in one big blast, correct?"

Naomi was in shock. "What?" she stammered. "But how could you know what my power is?" Ai sighed. "Yet again, your pathetic mind cannot comprehend the unlimited powers I hold," she said snidely. "I am possessing Yuki, correct?" she asked, to which Naomi nodded. "And so I can enter his thoughts and gain any knowledge he had on him before his death, simple right?"

Naomi growled. 'She knows my power because I killed Yuki the exact same way...' she thought. 'Damn, she's good...' She was quickly brought back to the fight as Ai again thrust her palms towards her, the energy rippling through the air and tearing at Naomi's uniform.

Naomi quickly flipped back and raised her bardiche, two shadowy clones appearing either side of her. Ai looked at this with humour, but then flipped back as she sensed a large wave of energy coming her way.

The energy hit the desert, tossing sand into the air, crumbling to dust. She looked up, confused, to see Zeo hovering in midair, bony wings now growing from his back and a cleaver in each hand.

"Looks like your 'future transport system' ran out," he mocked. "And it looks like I got my sword back – and what a sword. Anything in the line of fire dies instantly. You know... organic stuff. The inorganic stuff just crumbles..." Ai looked at him, as if expecting something else. Zeo sighed. "Yeah, I still don't know why it does that..."

"Brilliant..." Ai replied, sarcastically. "I'm facing an arrancar pretending to be a soul reaper who doesn't even know how to use his zanpakuto properly. This day couldn't get better..."

"Shut it!" Zeo snapped, irritated, but Naomi hushed him. "Don't let her get on your nerves Zeo," she said. "This is exactly what she wants you to do. You'll lose focus this way."

"Oh I get it," Ai said, humoured. "You two have something going on, am I right?" she asked, curious. Zeo and Naomi glared at her. "So what if we are?" Zeo yelled. Naomi calmed down, but kept her glare.

"She's just trying to get to us again, Zeo," she reminded him. "Don't let her." Zeo glanced at her, then nodded. Ai glanced at them both, then at her sword. "Well," she started, "if you have the means, why not use them?"

She slashed her sword in the air, her blood splashing across the sand, being absorbed instantly. A bone covered hand rose up from the sand suddenly, grasping for the nearest object it could reach. Eventually, it pulled its form from the desert and dusted itself off.

Before her stood an arrancar, its mask being bony mandibles on either side of his jaw. His once-black hair was now blood red and his eyes were now blank. Naomi's eyes opened in shock. "That's... that's the arrancar we killed back in Soul Society..." she stammered. "But how can you bring him back..."

Ai sighed. "Who said I needed to be in proximity to bring them back?" she said. "This guy here is Kiseki's top clansman, our version of the previous generation's Fraccion. His genetic data was all over Kiseki when I took his genetic code from his uniform, so it makes sense I can bring him to life now doesn't it?"

Naomi glared at her. 'What more is she hiding? This bitch is starting to get on my nerves!' she cursed, sweating. 'What else does she have up her sleeve?' Ai pointed to Naomi, the newly-returned arrancar stepping forwards slightly.

"Now, I want you to kill her," she said. "Do you hear me? Or do I have to say your name to get your attention?" Naomi looked puzzled. Ai took notice of this. "Their souls have already left their bodies," she explained. "So I may need to call their names to bring them under my control."

She then turned back to the arrancar. "Yusuke Kumo, hear me, take her out for good!" she ordered, the arrancar, confirmed to be Yusuke, rushing towards Naomi, sword raised. He slashed down, missing as she dodged, and then was connected with a quick cut which opened him up, spraying blood everywhere. He fell to the desert in a heap.

"You're losing your touch if you thought he'd do much," Naomi taunted. "We beat him one time, we can do it again, easily." Ai sighed yet again. "Again you are wrong soul reaper," she said flatly. "I brought him back because he is extremely good at regenerating, and on top of that, Yusuke has quite a good hierro. You won't be getting through that too quickly."

As if to solidify her point, Yusuke stood up instantly, as if nothing had happened. The wound that was imprinted into his chest had now disappeared, having healed seconds ago. He turned back, smirking. Naomi started to sweat, as did Zeo, who landed next to her in a defensive stance.

They both heard a cry of pain and looked over to Kiseki, who had cut down both Rangiku and Shuhei without any injury whatsoever. They glared at their three enemies, both fear and desperation starting to cross them.

"Damn, looks like we're in trouble now huh?" Naomi said, a hint of humour in her voice. Zeo nodded. "Too bad Captain Ruhodesu couldn't be here, he'd think of a way out of this..." he added, waiting an attack from one of the three.

Ai cracked a smirk slightly, and looked to Yusuke, who held his sword intently. "Fine Yusuke, you have the honours," she offered, "but first, your resurrection please?" Yusuke nodded. "Crawl, Araña..." he whispered, his voice almost nonexistent. He was suddenly enveloped in an intense light as he morphed, his sword elongating into a yari, and his lower body becoming longer.

Another six legs grew from this new lower body, leaving him with the body of a spider as his lower torso. His mandibles had grown out, and now covered his cheeks to the bridge of his nose, three small holes in either one, to represent eyes.

He raised his front two legs and rushed at them, knocking them both over. He then raised his yari to strike, but was cut off by a timely sword block. He looked to his side to see Jushiro, shikai released and glaring at him.

Yusuke smirked and slashed at him, Jushiro merely flash-stepping to dodge. He reappeared behind all three arrancar, flanked by Ikkaku, Yumichika, Izuru, Nanao and Marechiyo. Ai stood back slightly, whilst Kiseki started to move forward.

Naomi and Zeo were in shock. "Captain Ukitake! How did you know where we were? Who told you we needed help?" Naomi managed to blurt out. Jushiro smiled slightly. "Naomi, it's fine," he reassured her. "Isane sent word that you may need some help after feeling Rukia's spiritual pressure fade slightly. She can really open a garganta quick."

Ikkaku laughed. "No kidding," he added, before staring at Yusuke. "Hey, who are you, punk?" he asked, sword raised. Yusuke didn't answer, so Ikkaku started to laugh again. "Heh, you think you're pretty tough don't you?"

He turned to Izuru and Nanao. "Hey, you two go check on the others," he said. "Me, Yumichika, Marechiyo and Captain Ukitake will handle things here, alright?" Nanao scowled slightly. "How dare you order me, a lieutenant, around, you 3rd seat!" she scolded him.

Jushiro quickly hushed them. "Quiet!" he yelled. "Do as he says Nanao. You are better than he is at healing, and he is better than you are at fighting. It is a simple calculation to consider. If you do not want to take the order from him, think of it as from me instead."

Nanao looked shocked, but nodded, flash-stepping towards the fallen with Izuru. Ikkaku and Yumichika stepped forward, swords at the ready. "So Yumichika, which one of these losers do you want to take out first?" he asked.

Yumichika looked around, displeased. "They all look so ugly, Ikkaku," he moaned. "Maybe we can kill them and brighten this place up a bit?" Ikkaku laughed. "I agree... for the most part," he replied. "I'm definitely in for a fight, that's for sure!"

Ai gestured, and Yusuke and Kiseki stepped forward. Ikkaku and Yumichika readied their weapons, but Jushiro stood in front of them. "No, you two," he ordered. "I will deal with their scorpion, he's the strongest of them all. Leave him to me."

Ikkaku was taken aback, but nodded, albeit resentfully. Jushiro flash-stepped away, followed by Kiseki using sonido, until they met in a clash of blades a few metres away. Ikkaku smirked as he looked at Yusuke. "So it's only you? How pathetic!" he taunted.

Ai started to sigh again, except much deeper. She was slowly enveloped in a coat of light before separating from Yuki, who had now returned to the previous colour scheme. "Yuki," she started. "Be a good slave and kill that bald freak for me. And you, Yusuke, kill that pansy too."

Yusuke and Yuki nodded, using sonido to rush at both Ikkaku and Yumichika, clashing blades with them, Yusuke with Yumichika and Yuki with Ikkaku. Ikkaku glanced over to Yumichika. "Split up?" he asked. Yumichika nodded. "The best way to fight is separately," he answered, both nodding to each other before flash-stepping off, their opponents following them.

Marechiyo was the only one left, and stepped forward to face Ai. Ai looked at him in wonder. Marechiyo was puzzled. "What are you thinking?" he asked, slightly nervous. Ai sighed. "Oh, I'm only wondering whether you're big and strong, or big and idiotic..." she replied, bluntly.

Marechiyo stood, jaw gaping in shock. "What did you say?" he roared in anger. "I am Marechiyo Yoshiamenosuke Nikkota-" Ai interrupted him. "Um, yeah, if I wanted your life story, I would have asked, idiot," she said, snidely.

Marechiyo snarled and drew his sword. "Crush, Gegetsuburi!" he yelled, his sword swelling into the spiked mace. He flash-stepped and slammed his mace down, Ai merely sidestepping out of the way with ease. Ai then raised her sword and slashed across Marechiyo's side, throwing him to the sand a few metres back.

She sighed as she slowly walked up to his fallen form, sword pointed to his neck. "Poor thing," she stated. "When you die, I'll bring you back to do my bidding. Won't that be a barrel of laughs?"

She was taken aback, however, as Marechiyo's eyes suddenly burst open. "Now, Zeo, do it now!" he yelled. Ai looked behind her swiftly, as a needle flew at her and lodged itself in the back of her neck.

Zeo chuckled. "And now that I have punctured your spinal cord, I can control you!" he exclaimed. "And the first thing I'll do is call off your slaves." Ai merely taunted him, however.

"You really think I mentally control my slaves?" she asked. "Of course I don't. I control them by the blood of mine that flows through their veins. As long as that stays, I can control them through my life. They will kill your allies, then they will come to finish you off."

* * *

Ikkaku dodged a claw slash, before parrying it and slashing upwards, cutting into Yuki's skin. He then backed off, raising his sword. "Extend, Hozukimaru!" He thrust his sword forward, slamming the sheath into the hilt, the newly formed naginata making contact with Yuki's side.

Blood spurted out, and Yuki backed off, intimidated. Ikkaku then laughed. "What? You think that's something? You've seen nothing yet!" he smirked, holding his naginata behind him.

He looked around to check if there was anyone watching him, then smirked. "I'll show you a weapon! Bankai, Ryumon Hozukimaru!" His naginata disappeared and was replaced with the large monk spades, connected with the large blade mounted on his back. A dragon crest was engraved on the middle blade, but was dull and lifeless.

"This is what you call power!" he yelled, ecstatic. He thrust his blades forward, Yuki trying his best to dodge. Ikkaku then sliced horizontally, attempting to catch Yuki's feet as he jumped.

Yuki flipped back and landed perfectly on the desert, claws raised. Ikkaku again thrust his weapon forward, but Yuki caught it, energy forming in his hands. Suddenly, one of Ikkaku's spades vanished, the connecting chain the only thing left of it.

"Huh..." Ikkaku pondered. "You can do something to do with space or time, but who cares?" he laughed, "Because I've got power and luck on my side!" He grabbed onto the connecting chain that would hold the missing piece and spun around, the opposite blade spinning quickly.

Yuki was caught off-guard, the attack coming so quickly, and was cut across the chest forcing him down to the desert. Ikkaku then jumped into the air and aimed his blades for Yuki, landing where he lay. The blade ripped through Yuki's shoulder, severing his arm on impact.

Yuki didn't seem to notice his dismemberment and rolled back into a fighting stance. Ikkaku looked vaguely humoured at this. "Damn, you don't give up do you?" he asked. "Just the way I like it!"

He quickly ran up and sliced, Yuki dodging once more, landing palm-down on the sand, energy gathering in it. He released the energy, a large cloud of sand kicking up around them both.

"Damn, a sandstorm!" Ikkaku yelled, "Tricky bastard!" His senses sparked suddenly, and he sliced to his left, and heard a muffled thud as something hit the ground. He then took his weapon and spun it around his head again, creating a wind strong enough to force the sand away.

Ikkaku smirked in triumph at who he had slashed at. Yuki lay on the ground, blood escaping the large gap between his other arm and shoulder. Ikkaku laughed. "Man, you weren't a challenge at all!" he taunted. "That was a lucky shot though, so I guess luck was on my side today, arrancar." He raised his weapon, the missing piece finally reappearing, before he stabbed it down onto the neck of Yuki.

* * *

Yumichika laughed as Yusuke slashed down with his yari, barely touching him. He then dodged again as Yusuke came in with another slash, clumsily running with his eight legs.

"You're obviously not experienced on those legs, are you?" he teased, Yusuke glaring at him. "What, something I said?" he continued laughing. Yusuke quickly shrugged it off and raised his yari, spinning it in the air.

A line of silk suddenly escaped from its tip, spinning a dome around them. "What?" Yumichika asked. "You're actually giving me an environment to use my shikai? Are you an idiot?"

He then glanced at Yusuke's face, and shuddered. "Well," he added. "You are ugly..." He then raised his sword and smiled. "Bloom, Riiro Fujaku!" he said, his sword blade splitting and growing into vines, which crawled on the ground, awaiting a victim.

Yumichika gestured, and the vines shot at Yusuke, who merely stood there. As they were about to hit, a line of silk shot out of the back of his thorax and flung him up to the top of the dome. Yumichika looked up in anger, only to see what Yusuke had done.

"Damn..." he said slowly. "This dome has multiple layers of silk acting as floors... He's got me trapped..." Yusuke suddenly flew out from the opposite wall, striking Yumichika in the side with his yari, drawing blood.

Yusuke swiftly jumped into the dome again, hiding in the layers. Yumichika got up slowly, coughing up blood. "Damn bastard got me..." he muttered, trying to get steady.

He raised his shikai, the vines looking for an opponent. Yusuke fell back down to ground level and stabbed at Yumichika again, who gestured, his vines wrapping themselves around two of Yusuke's legs.

They struggled, Yumichika holding onto Yusuke's yari, and Yusuke struggling with Yumichika's vines. Eventually, Yusuke jumped back up, but Yumichika didn't give up. He pulled with his vines, and two of Yusuke's legs snapped off, a sickening sound accompanying them.

Yumichika looked sick. "That... had to hurt..." he muttered, almost gagging. He panted, his wound now bleeding profusely. Yusuke jumped down again and raised his yari to attack, sneaking up behind Yumichika.

Suddenly, the vines erupted from underground, wrapping themselves around Yusuke's arms. He struggled with them, as they started to grow and tangle around his neck. Yumichika turned, now looking more radiant than when he started, his wound having disappeared.

"Thanks a lot, idiot," he said, taunting Yusuke, who still struggled. "I did say you gave me the advantage, but you didn't listen. Although congratulations are in order for not caring that you lost your legs. That takes guts..." he started to walk away, hacking at the web dome as he did. "Although you're still ugly..." Yusuke's body started to slowly shake until stiff, his last breath escaping his lungs as he died.

* * *

Jushiro blocked another of Kiseki's swords, and then another, as barrage upon barrage of cleaver blows attacked him. Kiseki smirked. "Come on, captain," he taunted. "Fight like a man!"

Jushiro glared at him, flash-stepping behind him. "Fine, if that is the way you want it..." he muttered. Kiseki glanced back at him, ready to strike, before he felt a blade stab through his front.

He looked ahead again, and saw Mayuri, blade through his abdomen. "Hmm..." he mused, annoyed. "I'm pretty sure I killed you, did I not?" Kiseki smirked and swung his tail at Mayuri, who was knocked to the desert in a heap.

He then attempted to walk towards him to finish him off, but Jushiro now had his sword's prongs gripping his shoulders from behind. Jushiro forced them back quickly, impaling Kiseki's shoulders, then releasing, blood spurting from them like taps.

Mayuri was now up, and had had his shikai released, staring Kiseki in the face. "I'm sure that I killed you before, arrancar..." he started. "Shame really, because now you'll have to die forever..."

He stabbed forward, Kiseki being impaled with his deformed trident. Then Jushiro placed his sword's prongs on either side of Kiseki's neck. Kiseki attempted to turn into sand, but couldn't.

"Huh?" he gasped. "Why can't I...?" Mayuri interrupted, "Turn into sand?" he asked, humoured. "Well, my paralysis happened to catch your spine just then, and by my theory, you use your central nervous system to separate into sand, am I correct?"

Kiseki was in shock. Jushiro closed his eyes. "I do this for the justice of the seireitei..." he muttered, solemnly, ripping into Kiseki's neck, beheading him instantly. Mayuri cackled. "Nice method of execution, Ukitake," he complimented, a dark smile etched on his face. "Very nice..."

* * *

Ai struggled, but couldn't escape from Zeo's control. Naomi joined Marechiyo to stand in front of her, observing her. She kneeled down to Ai's now-sitting height and looked her in the eye.

"You said before that life is worth nothing, right?" she said, her voice cold. Ai nodded, sternly. "Well then," Naomi continued, "let's see if your belief holds true as you die here today..."

She stepped back a few steps and raised her bardiche. "Kozumikkikouken Reitentei!" she yelled, more shadowy clones joining her already existing ones. Then, they all fused to form a large angelic spirit, blade in one hand.

It shimmered for a second before it rushed at Ai, sword brandished. It then disappeared as soon as it had appeared. Ai was in shock, and then suddenly, her head rolled off of her neck, blood erupting from the wound, reducing her to a pile of dust.

Marechiyo looked at Naomi in fear. "Woah," he started. "You really reminded me of Captain Ruhodesu just then..." he trailed off. Naomi looked at him, warmly. "What do you expect?" she replied. "We _are_ siblings, after all..."

* * *

_It seems that all of Kenji's soldiers have fallen in battle, and now the only chance he has of success is himself. Of course, whether he cares that they have all fallen or not is up for debate, but you have to feel he could have a nice side if he wanted to have one..._

_**Next chapter: **Terri and Kiyomi finally face Kenji in battle, and get him to reveal the reason behind his attacks on the seireitei. Whether they're justified or not is for you to decide, but either way, the final battle is now beginning. 'Desolation', next week._


	36. Desolation

**Chapter 35 – Desolation**

Kenji raised his sword, pointing down to Kiyomi, then at Terri, smirking. "Which one should I kill first, I wonder?" he laughed. "Should I kill the Head-Captain bitch who has proven to be annoyingly strong? Or should I kill the little academy brat who has proven to be annoyingly strong-headed? Which to choose?"

Kiyomi frowned. "Stop playing games Kenji," she said, venom in her tone. "Why don't you just understand that you're beaten? It is quite obvious. You're facing down two of the seireitei's strongest soul reapers."

Terri quickly turned to her in shock. 'Strongest?' she echoed in her head. 'She actually believes in me this much?' She lowered her head, confidence growing. 'Alright, Head-Captain, I won't let you down!'

Kenji smirked again. "But why should I choose between you two ladies?" he chuckled. "I think it's more polite for me to kill you both at once!" He suddenly disappeared, reappearing in front of Kiyomi, who raised her own sword to block his strike. They stood in a deadlock, as Terri raised Kazedoragon and ran at the immobilised Kenji.

She slashed down, only for Kenji to simply vanish again, appearing back on his throne, smiling darkly. "Please," he muttered, "you think your speed can even compare to mine? I have had countless years to practice the flash-step, and I was granted even more speed once I absorbed the power of countless hollows. You're out of your league, girl!"

Terri raised her sword again and pointed it at Kenji. "Tell me Kenji!" she yelled, glaring at him. "I don't understand how you can hate the Soul Society so much as to do all of this. If you'd like to enlighten me, I'd be honoured."

Kenji almost choked laughing. "Ha! Honour?" he mocked. "I lost my honour decades ago girl! And, as a parting gift before your death, I might as well talk to you about it..." Terri seemed to smile slightly, as if she thought she was getting through to him, but Kiyomi glared at him, still cautious.

"You see," he started, "it all began when I entered the seireitei from the academy, still a young and arrogant warrior. I was originally an outcast, because of my shikai abilities to comatose people, but luckily, the captains saw this as something of use to them, and so allowed me into a squad quite quickly."

He sighed, looking reflective. "I was placed in Squad 3, under the great Captain Rojuro Otoribashi, however, there was something occurring in the seireitei that no-one was aware about." He glanced at Kiyomi. "I think you know what I mean."

Her eyes suddenly widened, understanding his hint. "Sosuke Aizen!" she exclaimed, Kenji nodding in response. Terri was confused. "Who's Sosuke Aizen?" she wondered out loud. Kenji laughed.

"Yes, indeed," he continued, "as I was going to find out. Aizen saw me somewhat as a threat, and so attempted to appeal to the Central 46 and Head-Captain Yamamoto to have me banished from Soul Society, or at least imprisoned in the 'Maggot's Nest', that is reserved for those who prove a terrifying threat. Almost immediately, his appeal was turned down, as surprised as I was. With a power like mine, I predicted the worst, you see."

"Of course, after this, Aizen was focused on getting rid of me, and so did something which would lead to my dismissal from Soul Society. He used his shikai on me. I happened to overhear a conversation, from who I thought were Squad 3 members, although I found out later this was a hypnotising power of Aizen's zanpakuto. They were discussing to overthrow the Squad 3 captain and take power for themselves. Being extremely loyal to my captain, I decided to take action and crept into their barracks that night."

Terri held her breath, dreading what came next. "I crept in and I slaughtered every last one of them..." Kenji said, digging emphasis into every word. Kiyomi was shocked. "So it was you!" she yelled. "I remember that incident very clearly, except for the one who did it. That information was withheld from everyone except Captain Otoribashi and Head-Captain Yamamoto. No wonder none of us remembered you..."

Kenji nodded solemnly. "After that, I was brought up to trial, Yamamoto being present, as usual with these cases. Aizen was also present. After the trial, my sentence was agreed upon – death by the Sokyoku. I was restrained and taken there immediately. Just as I was about to be tied up, however, I snapped. I took my zanpakuto and killed my captors, swiftly and silently, before they could take it away from me. I then raised my blade to the captains, before their lieutenants came in to aid them."

Kenji's face lit up as a dark smile crept along his face. "I killed some of them too..." he chuckled. "Their blood seeping from their wounds was all the delight I could have hoped for. Yamamoto then confronted me himself, his blade pressed against my neck. Luckily, however, I knew how to create a garganta, having studied the arts of the hollows. I used my emergency garaganta, which you've seen before, to escape, vowing to return one day to slay everyone who once rejected me just because of my powers, and everyone who wronged me in my life."

He then leaned over his throne, laughing like a madman. "And now!" he exclaimed. "My plan has finally come to fruition! I now have only you two to kill, and then I can finally rest knowing that I have had my revenge!"

Kiyomi scowled. "Why didn't you keep a grudge against Aizen, may I ask?" she muttered. "I understand you disliking the ones who wronged you, but he wronged you too!" Kenji answered her question with a laugh.

"I apologise, Kiyomi," he admitted. "But how can I despise Aizen, when he opened my eyes to what I truly live for? I now live for the deaths of others! Be it enemy or ally, I adore it when their blood spills, and when their hearts stop beating. I savour the sounds of steel cutting into flesh – why? Does that make me different to anyone else?" he asked, chuckling.

Terri suddenly erupted with energy, her aura visible surrounding her. Her head was down, shadowing her eyes. "How _dare_ you say something like that..." she said, darkly. "I would never will the deaths of others... but if I must..." she raised her head, her eyes burning into Kenji's. "I shall kill you!"

She disappeared, appearing in a deadlock with Kenji, who smirked back. "That's it, girl!" he laughed. "Release your full anger! Attack me with everything you have!" Terri leaned into her attack, but Kenji saw this, leaning back and putting her off-balance. He then appeared to her side, before blood suddenly spurt from her side. She fell to the ground, holding onto Kenji's throne for support.

Kiyomi looked on, helpless. 'He... he's right...' she thought. 'He _is_ more powerful than ever... I don't think even I can stop him...' She then glared at Kenji, a scowl on her face. "But I can at least try!" she yelled, flash-stepping to Kenji's position.

She then sliced down hard, taking Kenji off-guard. He raised his sword to block in time, and Kiyomi backed off. She then raised her sword before whispering "Constrict, Tsutasenjo..."

Her sword quickly started to come to life, lengthening out. It became cylindrical, forming her whip, thorns sprouting at random intervals. She snapped it at the ground, the crack echoing throughout the throne room.

She then snapped it forward, it coiling around Kenji's sword-wielding hand. The thorns dug deep and she pulled back suddenly, the thorns ripping through Kenji's flesh. Her whip snapped back to her side and Kenji held his arm in pain. Blood dripped from his wound, but he merely held his sword out again.

"Gracia..." he whispered, his arm being overcome with a shining aura. The wound slowly closed over, and he smirked again. Kiyomi's eyes narrowed. "Wait..." she mused, "if you used an absorbed power... that means..."

As if to answer her train of thought, Kenji's hollow fell from the shadows, landing in front of her and striking down with its claws. Kiyomi barely managed to dodge, before the hollow turned to fire a cero at her. She dodged this also, flash-stepping behind him.

She quickly snapped her whip repeatedly at the ground beneath it, and the vines grew swiftly, tangling the hollow up. She turned to Kenji with a smile. "I didn't think you'd fall for the same trick twice, Kenji..." she taunted.

"I didn't..." he laughed darkly. "You're just too full of yourself Kiyomi, take another look." Kiyomi did as he said and looked back. The hollow, previously tangled in the vines, was now slowly phasing through them. It staggered as it tripped over the final vine, but then turned to Kiyomi with a gruesome grin on its mask.

Kenji then interrupted her glare at the hollow. "Matanza!" he yelled, his sword disappearing into grains of light. "You should be honoured, Kiyomi," he laughed. "I only reveal this ability to those I feel I must overwhelm to kill. The only other who has seen this has been Matthew Richardson – my ex-arrancar."

Suddenly, thousands of blades appeared behind him, creating a wall that pointed at Kiyomi. She glared at the wall of blades, then glanced back at the hollow. 'Damn, Kenji was right... he is extremely powerful now...' she thought.

"Well, I didn't think I would need to do this..." she quickly admitted, snapping her whip back. "I thought I could beat you without it, but it looks like I have no choice..." She then snapped her whip in the air, it staying there in suspended animation. It started to glow a dark orange colour.

"Bankai! Nenshou Tsutasenjo!" Her whip erupted in a sea of flames, the aura passing down it and onto her body too. The flames encircled her, making the hollow step back slightly, intimidated. As the flames started to die down, her bankai was now fully apparent.

Her whip had grown larger, slightly smaller than Hihio Zabimaru, and was now flaming continuously. On her back, wings of flame, shaped like butterfly wings, had grown, which matched her new hairstyle, which was now wild and flowing, flames dancing through it. Her captain's haori and uniform had been incinerated, and what was left was a red, form-fitting uniform, backless like Soifon's.

"This is my real power, Kenji!" she yelled, a rage burning in her voice. "My Nenshou Tsutasenjo keeps its powers from before, but adds more. I can now control fire, as well as nature itself. You're outclassed."

Kenji eyed her, interested. "May I say how wonderful you look, especially for a woman of your years, Kiyomi," he complimented, but then his face fell. "But don't think a bankai will intimidate me, as I have the total power of one hundred bankais at my disposal!" He then looked one more time at her uniform. "You used to be Squad 2, I'm assuming?"

Kiyomi nodded. "Yes, I was one who was looked upon to be one of Squad 2's higher ups, and even possibly go for the captaincy once or twice, but I refused," she explained. "Instead I moved to Squad 1, under Yamamoto himself. But I still keep this uniform for my bankai, as my wings of flame remove all clothing from my back, you see. I think it symbolises something, personally."

In this time, Terri had now found her ground again, and had stood up. She looked at Kiyomi's bankai in awe. 'Wow...' she gasped. 'I never expected Head-Captain Seiryoku's bankai to be so beautiful... or so frightening...'

Kiyomi glared at Kenji for a split-second before gesturing with her whip, it coiling back and then lunging forward to attack. Kenji saw this coming and dodged, jumping into the air, his wall of blades following him. He then gestured, and his hollow appeared suddenly behind Kiyomi, ready to make contact.

Terri saw this and immediately rushed in, sword raised. "Fly, Kazedoragon!" she yelled, her sword disappearing and a large dragon's head forming behind her, made entirely of wind. She forced her palm forward, and the dragon lunged forward, pushing into the hollow, which tried to grasp the ground in defiance.

The wind was too strong, however, and it was blown to the opposite wall, rocks crumbling onto its fallen form. Kiyomi smiled at Terri slightly before she again gestured, her whip flying towards Kenji once again. He scowled and again dodged, but the whip followed in pursuit, as if a predator stalking its prey.

Kenji cursed under his breath and turned in midair, flash-stepping behind Kiyomi, the wall of blades doing the same. He then gestured, and the blades rushed forward, intent on skewering Kiyomi through. Kiyomi, however, smirked and gestured, her whip rushing in to block for her.

She then flash-stepped, appearing to Kenji's side, and raised her hand. "Hado 90, Nenshou Kurohitsugi!" Suddenly, a black box surrounded Kenji and black lances of energy jolted into it. As Terri expected it to dissipate, it instead erupted into flames before exploding, Kiyomi smirking as it did.

Both Terri and Kiyomi awaited the sight of a fallen Kenji, the smoke and steam clearing up from the kido attack. What met their eyes didn't warm their hearts, before them stood Kenji, slightly singed but nonetheless still standing.

He burst into laughter, almost mocking Kiyomi's power. "Not bad, Kiyomi," he complimented. "But as I've said before, I have too much power to be defeated by the likes of you. Although I must admit, the addition of a personal twist on your kido was quite unexpected."

Kiyomi scowled, raising her whip, but Kenji merely smirked darkly. He flash-stepped again, appearing behind her, his wall of blades appearing again. "Matanza, Millon Espadas!" he smiled, even more blades appearing behind him in the wall. "Die!" he laughed, the blades shooting at Kiyomi, who stood stiff in fear.

As the blades reached her position, she heard a quick "Flash, Doragonsumiyaka!" before she was grabbed and taken to the opposite side of the room in a split-second. She looked Terri in the eye.

"I didn't know you could do something like that..." she said, in awe. "Thank you." Terri looked visibly embarrassed. "It's not that great, Captain," she replied. "It's just my mom's shikai, that's all."

She instantly glared at the other end of the room as Kenji cursed out aloud, and turned to face them. He raised his hand, scowling at them. "Matanza, Millon Espadas!" he yelled again, but before he could finish his command, he was interrupted by Terri.

"Sumiyaka Tatsumaki!" she yelled, rushing in from his side, encircling Kenji at high velocity whilst focusing Kazedoragon into the centre. A twister picked up instantly and blew Kenji away into the opposite wall, causing him to cough up blood.

Terri deactivated her shikais, sheathing them, and then drew her final sword. "Alright, time to finish you!" she yelled, confidently. "Ride the waves of thunder, Raikou no Ryu!" she exclaimed, her sword extending and shimmering blue. Electricity sparked as she swiped it in the air, sending off small shards of thunder.

'_Ah, it's good to be released!'_ she heard Raikou cry in her head. _'Let's take this fool on together, alright Terri?'_ she roared, Terri smirking in reply. 'Yeah, let's take him out once and for all!' she replied.

She rushed at Kenji, ready to strike his heart. Kiyomi stepped forward slightly. "No, Terri, don't do it!" she pleaded. "It's a trap!" However, Terri was almost within striking distance, and so ignored her, stabbing forward.

Kenji's eyes suddenly opened and he swung his blade at her side. "Bankai!" he yelled. "Kagirinai Utsuroshikyo!" As Terri felt a sharp sting in her side, falling to the floor, she witnessed a large wave of white energy rush 360 degrees around Kenji. Wherever the wave went, nothing remained. It was like he was erasing all of existence.

She then heard Kiyomi scream and drop to the ground, and turned to see her. Kiyomi was face-down on the, now pure white, ground, motionless. Her bankai had deactivated itself and her aura had subsided. Terri froze in shock.

"Get it now?" Kenji laughed. "My bankai spreads my coma-inducing powers over a wider area, but spares those who touch my blade. You were lucky enough to be sliced by it as I released it."

* * *

Ikkaku and Yumichika walked over to the group of soul reapers, questioning why they were gathered in a circle. They made their way into the circle and saw that Rukia, Rangiku and Shuhei were lying on the ground, Izuru and Nanao still tending to their wounds. All of them turned as they heard a yell coming from behind them.

Sajin was staggering forward, supported by Isane, with Retsu behind them with Toshiro on her back. Jushiro walked up to them, concerned. "What happened here?" he asked. Retsu smiled.

"Everything's fine, Jushiro," she replied. "There's nothing to worry about. Toshiro and Sajin will make full and excellent recoveries." Jushiro sighed in relief. "Thank goodness," he replied. "Retsu, you're a miracle-worker."

Izuru interrupted them as he looked ominously into the distance. "Um, what's that?" he gasped. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at, as a large wave of pure white energy pulsed towards them.

* * *

Raven and Crystal were running down a corridor, ready to find and slay Kenji themselves, when they heard a loud humming, all of a sudden. They turned to see a large wave of energy following them.

Crystal looked at Raven and gasped. "Let's run faster, alright?" she asked, desperate. Raven nodded, visibly nervous, and followed her, trying to escape the ever-closing energy wave.

* * *

Byakuya and Soifon sped off towards the castle, only to be halted as they saw the white energy wave heading their way. Soifon's eyes opened wide.

"I don't think that thing is here to greet us, Byakuya," she noted. Byakuya nodded, also shocked at it. "I agree, let us turn back and find another way in."

They turned on their heels and sped off in the opposite direction as the energy wave caught up to them.

* * *

Kenpachi groaned as he moved rubble and stone from his form. He staggered up, still dizzy from the shock and looked solemnly down at the fallen Maya. He sighed, turning to limp away, but heard a voice behind him.

"Mr. Captain..." Maya managed to say, meekly. "I'm not dead... just paralysed..." Kenpachi turned and looked at her sceptically. "And how did that happen?" he asked. Maya attempted to smile, but couldn't.

"Becasue... Maya overloaded Maya's systems... and Maya can't use or gain energy to move anymore..." Kenpachi limped back over and picked her up, Maya showing signs of surprise and fear.

"Well, there's no point in leaving you here to rot, is there?" he muttered, turning and limping towards the now-broken doorway to the room. Maya's eyes suddenly glowed and she gasped.

"No..." she whispered. "Ken's true power has awakened..." Kenpachi paused, sceptical, but then yelled in surprise as a white light enveloped him.

* * *

"And now every one of your friends is in a coma, you academy brat!" Kenji gloated. "All of their powers are mine, and all you have are some weak little shikais. Granted, you make good use of them, but they're nothing compared to me!"

Terri struggled to get up, using her swords as support. She the glanced at her blade, her shikai had been resealed. She gasped in shock, and Kenji laughed in reply.

"What?" he answered. "Noticing that my bankai negates the powers of all shikais? Yes, that's true. It also does the same for bankais, so don't even think of trying anything, even if by some miracle you can muster up a bankai."

Terri had now stood up, and was glaring at Kenji, who was now looking around the blankness and emptiness. "This blank dimension was created by my bankai, brat," he continued. "It is a representation that no life is special. Everyone shall come to die by this, and you will all be forgotten, in time."

Terri then cried slightly in surprise as she heard a moaning behind her. She turned around on her heel to witness Kenji's hollow wrestling with its mask. "Pain..." it muttered. "Such pain... but such intense pleasure from power..."

Kenji too watched in curiosity. The hollow writhed in pain, still prying at its mask. With one last roar, it ripped it off, the mask shattering in its hands. As soon as it did, it began to shrink in size, an arrancar uniform beginning to form around its body.

Kenji was pleasantly surprised. "Well, that was extremely unexpected," he admitted. "I didn't think you'd ever become an arrancar, my hollow. So, what do I call you?"

The arrancar stood up slowly, back turned to them. "You can call me... Kenichi Ito..." he said, coldly and apathetically. He turned to look at them both, its mask remnants forming a horn on the right side of his head, based on a skull fragment that went down to and followed the shape of the right side of his jaw, fangs visible on that part of the fragment.

His cold blue eyes pierced into Terri's, rooting her to the spot, and his face showed no emotion. Terri exhaled, her breath suddenly cold. She shivered. Kenichi stared into her eyes. "Unfortunate for you, isn't it?" he started, "That my birth as an arrancar would be your death as a soul reaper?"

* * *

_And so Terri is left alone with not one, but two enemies to face. With everyone else out of commission, it's all up to her to defeat Kenji's ever-evolving power. Also, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but some kind of internal error was preventing me from uploading... Either way, this is the penultimate chapter, and we're almost at the climax of the action._

_**Next chapter:** I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Terri faces off against Kenji and Kenichi, in a last-ditch attempt to stop Kenji's plans. It all comes to a conclusion in 'Endgame'._


	37. Endgame

**Chapter 36 – Endgame**

Kenji laughed darkly. "Kenichi, huh?" he muttered. "A bit big-headed of you, isn't it? Describing yourself as 'the one authority' is quite arrogant of you." Kenichi merely looked at him.

"But anything I display as a part of my personality has to do with your personality, does it not?" he replied, monotonous. "You were my only primary source of knowledge for all of those years, so I had to take some personality traits. Like your arrogance, for instance, or your twisted sense of humour."

They both looked at each other, trying to evaluate the other's spiritual pressure. Terri took this chance to run over to Kiyomi's aid. She kneeled down and rolled her over onto her back.

"Head-Captain..." she whispered, in desperation. "Head-Captain, wake up!" she pleaded, hushed. Kiyomi didn't move, and Terri bowed her head in defeat. 'She's in a coma,' Terri thought. 'Just like Kenji said she was. And that must mean that everyone else is comatose too... Captain Kuchiki, Captain Zaraki, Captain Ruhodesu, Captain Hitsugaya, and everyone else... I'm alone...'

"You're slightly weaker than I am, Kenji," Kenichi stated, nonchalantly, "Although, I mean 'slightly' in the loosest possible way." Kenji growled in anger. "Shall we not resort to petty insults and work together?" he replied. "You are still my slave, after all."

Kenichi nodded in agreement, and then turned back to Terri. "Poor insignificant soul reaper girl..." he muttered. "May I ask your name before I kill you? I wouldn't want you to have a blank gravestone."

Terri stood up slowly, glaring at him. "My name?" she echoed. "My name is Terri Erika Zakura, and you'd better not forget it, arrancar. That is because I shall be your downfall!"

Kenichi smiled slightly. "Whilst I admire your energy, Terri," he admitted, "I doubt that your words will become truth. Both Kenji and I now have full control of every power we have ever absorbed. I was the intermediate point for the powers when in hollow form, and so before they went to Kenji, I would absorb my fair share of power. You have no chance, Terri. Run now before you need to pointlessly die."

Terri raised her sword and pointed it at him, confidently. 'Tsuki?' she asked, mentally. 'Raikou, are you there?' No answer came, and she sighed. 'Guess I'll have to do this on my own then...'

Kenichi opened his uniform, revealing his hollow hole on his abdomen and his zanpakuto strapped underneath his jacket, on his right. He reached in and unsheathed it, the metal humming with a pure tone.

"Fine," he muttered. "If you will not run, I shall strike you down swiftly and skilfully." With that, he appeared directly in front of her with sonido, slashing down. Terri raised her sword in reply, barely keeping him from cutting her.

He looked down at her, no emotion in his eyes. He then merely disappeared again, as Terri looked around, cautious. He rushed at her from her right, sword pointed at her, and stabbed forward, Terri parrying the attack and then elbowing him back.

Kenichi swept his blade to his side, looking Terri over once more. "It seems that you can actually fight," he mused. "Instead of relying heavily on shikais and bankais, you can instead fight with bare swords. I'm impressed."

Kenji growled further behind him. "You're not meant to be impressed, Kenichi!" he yelled. "Just get to killing her so that we can destroy Soul Society once and for all!"

Kenichi nodded and disappeared again. Terri raised her blade in anticipation, but then looked behind her after hearing his sonido. Kenichi stood with his index and middle fingers pointed at her.

"Bala..." he muttered, a bullet of white energy shooting at her at speed. Terri flipped to her right to dodge, breathing heavily in surprise. Kenichi then lowered his hand and smiled slightly yet again.

"It seems that you also have some degree of speed in you," he stated, "Not bad, Terri, not bad at all." Kenji was yet again angered. "Stop complimenting the girl and kill her already!" he yelled in frustration.

Kenichi then sighed and nodded for a third time. He disappeared again, this time reappearing in front of Terri. "Now, let's see you dodge this, Terri..." he whispered. "Cero!" he yelled, thrusting his palm towards her. Terri was taken off-guard, and the energy was driven into her, sending her flying in the resulting explosion.

She landed hard on the blank ground, her back arching in pain. She then rolled over immediately and coughed up blood. Her eyes were now distant, as if her whole conscious mind was knocked out of her.

Kenichi casually walked up to her fallen, struggling body and pointed his index and middle fingers at her again. "Now this should be an extremely quick and painless death, Terri," he muttered. "I'll see you in Hell..."

* * *

Tsuki and Raikou were before a large black gate, a stark contrast to the vast blankness that had been formed around them. They looked at it curiously, then looked at each other.

_'Any way we can get through it, sister?'_ Raikou asked, irritated. Tsuki shook her head. _'It doesn't look like there's any way through, Raikou,'_ she replied. _'And if there is a way, it's possible that it's been made unusable by us.'_

_'And I was just about to kill that bastard too!'_ Raikou roared. Tsuki was shocked and scolded her. _'Please sister, do not use that language! You are a female and should use manners about you!'_

_'Does this really matter?'_ Raikou argued. _'We need to find a way to help Terri! Don't tell me you didn't hear her voice calling for us before?'_ Tsuki lowered her head in thought.

_'What are you two doing here?'_ a voice called out behind them. They both turned, seeing a large dragon of wind looming over them. _'Kazedoragon?'_ Tsuki asked, nervously. _'And Doragonsumiyaka, too,'_ a female voice replied, as a slightly smaller dragon stepped out from behind Kazedoragon.

_'How did you two come to our plane?'_ Raikou asked, curious. Kazedoragon shook his head. _'All sprit planes are now intertwined,'_ he explained. _'Yours and our separate planes have now been fused thanks to Kenji's bankai. What we need to do is to get to Terri. When she finally defeats him, his bankai will dissipate, allowing us to return to our own planes.'_

_'That's great, Kazedoragon,'_ Raikou replied, flatly. _'But how do you expect us to do that?'_ Kazedoragon laughed slightly. _'Well that's easy, Raikou,' _he replied. _'I am made of wind, so I can easily pass through this foolish barrier. When I go through, this barrier should weaken, allowing you three to come out eventually to aid Terri.'_

With that, he flapped his wings, rising into the air. Tsuki and Raikou backed off to allow him passage, and he flew at full speed towards the gate. As he closed in on it, he dissipated into a blast of wind, rushing through the small cracks in it.

Tsuki and Raikou turned to Doragonsumiyaka, nervous. _'What?'_ she answered their looks. _'I'd trust him with my life, so I'm sure that he'll protect Terri well enough until we can all get through to help her.'_

_

* * *

  
_

Kenichi's fingers glowed as his Bala was getting readied. He was about to release it, when Terri quickly stood up. He depowered his Bala and stepped back slightly.

"Ah, so we're continuing this match, then?" he asked, interested in her new-found energy. "That's good. That's very good." He again raised his sword and slashed down. Terri however, blocked quickly with another of her blades, and then flash-stepped back to a safe distance.

"Hmm, I see," Kenichi mused. He turned to Kenji. "_Master!_" he yelled back, a hint of sarcasm leaking in. "I believe that this child can activate a shikai of hers. Why is that? Your bankai should negate it."

Kenji laughed his comment off. "Kenichi, whilst you portray yourself as superior to me, you are obviously not," he replied. "As I can tell you, this girl cannot have her shikai, as my bankai is irresistible to all zanpakutos. No exceptions." Kenichi then looked back at Terri, a look of doubt on his face. "Let's see then, shall we?" he muttered. "Let's see this girl's power to stand up to your 'irresistible' bankai."

Terri raised her sword and pointed it at Kenichi. 'I heard a male voice just then...' she wondered. 'So I'm expecting it was you. So I hope that you release now, otherwise I'm done for.'

"Fly, Kazedoragon!" she yelled, the sword erupting in a blast of wind. Kenichi's eyes suddenly opened wide in surprise, and he used sonido to retreat back to Kenji's side. He turned to him, humoured slightly. "So... 'irresistible bankai', huh?" he muttered, Kenji growling in response.

Terri then drew her other two swords as the wind formed a large dragon's head above her. "Good to have you here with me Kazedoragon..." she whispered, getting a roar in response.

Kenji drew his own sword in anger. "I ask you to do a simple thing, Kenichi," he snapped. "And you couldn't even do that. You're useless!" Kenichi kneeled down before him. "I apologise for my behaviour, Kenji," he said, a hint of sarcasm coming through.

Kenji ignored it, however, as he focused on Terri. "No matter, I'll kill this girl in no time!" he exclaimed, rushing forward, sword raised high. Terri gestured, and Kazedoragon roared, rushing forward at Kenji.

Kenji raised his arms to defend as Kazedoragon dissipated into wind, becoming more blade-like in shape. The blades rushed in to attack Kenji, ripping through his arms, body and legs. Kenji then raised his sword and sliced it down, yelling "Escudo!" A large golden sphere grew from the tip of his sword, surrounding him and repelling the wind away.

Kenji then smirked and raised his sword. "Oscuropira!" he yelled, black flames overwhelming his blade as he slashed it down, a wave of the flames shooting towards Terri. She glared at him and gestured, Kazedoragon rushing in to defend for her.

Kenji growled, and then raised his sword yet again. "Matanza!" he yelled, the wall of swords appearing behind him. Terri stepped back in shock and fear – she knew what this could do.

"Matanza, Millon Espadas!" Kenji added, the swords rushing down to Terri's position, which she immediately flash-stepped away from. The blades followed her, however, and she yet again flash-stepped away, desperate to escape them. Kenji smirked as Terri hit a corner, and gestured, the blades hurtling down to meet her flesh.

Suddenly, another of her swords flashed, and she grasped it tighter. "Flash, Doragonsumiyaka!" she yelled, disappearing from Kenji's sight. Kenji stopped the blades swiftly, looking around for Terri to appear.

Terri appeared behind him and smirked, raising both her sword and her free hand. "Sumiyaka Tatsumaki!" she exclaimed, smirking. She rushed in and spun Kenji slightly, flash-stepping circles around him. As she did, she forced her free hand into the middle of the circle, at Kenji, and Kazedoragon surrounded her fist. A twister started to brew, and it picked Kenji up instantly, throwing him to the ground with force.

Terri stopped flash-stepping and flipped back into an aggressive stance, glaring at both Kenji and Kenichi, and then smirked in triumph. Kenji got up slowly, cuts and gashes covering his body.

"Well, I see that you have used two of your shikais..." he muttered. "That means I'll only have to increase the pressure of my negation field!" He raised his sword and stabbed it into the ground, a secondary pulse of white spreading out throughout the blank dimension.

* * *

Raikou and Tsuki got ready to pass through the gate, which had now been bent back slightly after Doragonsumiyaka passed through it. Raikou backed up to finish the black gate off, and lunged forward, only to knock her head on a now-rock solid gate.

_'Ow!'_ she yelled, raising her arms to her head. _'Damn that hurt! What happened to that damn gate?'_ Tsuki scolded her. _'I do believe Kenji has done this...' _she mused. _'Obviously, he caught on that his negation power wasn't working anymore...'_

_'Well then, do you two ladies think I can help?'_ they heard a voice behind them and turned. Before them stood an armoured warrior, his helmet possessing an oni face, and his armour a rust-brown colour.

_'I am Ouja no Fushoku...'_ the spirit began. _'I am here to aid you both. Whilst my master is now deceased, I still live, and I shall do everything in my power to aid my master's closest friend in her time of need.'_

_'Ouja...'_ Tsuki started. He merely nodded at them both and raised his arms, a brown dust blasting from his palms. It covered the gate like locusts on a field, and dissolved it just as quick.

Tsuki and Raikou both moved towards the now-open gate, ready to be awakened again, until Tsuki turned to Ouja. _'Thank you, my friend,'_ she said. _'Are you not coming with us?'_

Ouja shook his head. _'This is the most I can do for her and you, at the moment,'_ he sighed. _'My power isn't at maximum, as I now have no master, and I am currently being held back by Kenji's bankai. You must go on ahead and save everyone for me, ladies.'_

'_We will do you proud, Ouja!'_ Tsuki replied, confidently, following Raikou through the gate, the opening disappearing behind them.

* * *

Kenji's secondary layer of blankness shattered, leaving him confused. "What?" he asked, bewildered. "How can my negation be destroyed?" Terri smirked slightly.

"Because, Kenji," she started, "I got a little help from my zanpakuto spirits and the spirit of my friend's zanpakuto..." she trailed off after thinking of Hiroshi, but then looked confidently into Kenji's eyes again.

"I shall now be able to kill you easily!" she stated, wielding her personal blade, and holding it aggressively. "Ride the waves of thunder, Raikou no Ryu!" she exclaimed, running her finger down the blade. It lengthened out and started turning a light blue, sparks jumping from it.

'Now, Raikou,' Terri thought. 'You can finally get that blood you want, right?' Raikou roared in delight. _'Ah, yes Terri! Please let me cut deep into his flesh!'_ Terri chuckled. 'Yeah, yeah,' she thought, 'let me attack with you first!'

She raised her blade and flash-stepped instantly, appearing behind Kenji. She swiftly slashed down, and Kenji barely dodged an attack to the back. She then disappeared again and attacked from the side this time, slashing into Kenji's arm as he blocked.

Terri could hear Raikou roar in delight, and flash-stepped again. She reappeared above Kenji, just as he looked to his right. There stood Matthew, smirking at him. Kenji's eyes widened in shock and he stood completely rigid. Terri took this chance and attacked when he was off-guard. She slashed down, Raikou sparking with electricity as she sliced cleanly through Kenji's shoulder.

Kenji fell onto his back, holding the stump that was now his limb. The former limb was lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, even after being cut off. Kenji looked up at Terri with surprise.

"How..." he stammered. "How are you this powerful? Even after I absorbed all of this power and negated all of yours?" He then heard a short cough behind him, and looked up to see Kenichi looming over him.

"The truth is Kenji," he started, "I have been absorbing all of the extra power you obtained ever since I became an arrancar. You've only been smart enough to notice now, after you've lost most of it." He then looked at Terri. "And also, she's quite powerful too..."

"Anyway..." he continued, "with you in this state, you're not that useful to me. And truthfully, your kind has always disgusted me... soul reapers..."

He pointed his palm towards Kenji's chest and looked him in the eye. "Unfortunate for you... Celeste rey cero..." A small, pure white ball of energy appeared in Kenichi's palm and he placed it on Kenji's chest. It slowly was absorbed into Kenji's body, as Kenichi stood up and walked over to face Terri.

Kenji struggled as he felt the cero whir and spin in his chest. He yelled out in pain, and then looked up, seeing the image of Matthew looking him in the eye. Matthew smirked darkly.

"Did I not say you'd be haunted by me?" he said, laughing. "You were paranoid about me so much, that you died because of me." Kenji glared at him. "No, you see," he replied, desperate, "I'll kill you, just you wait and see. I'll kill you after I use 'Gracia' on myself!" He then gestured, muttering 'Gracia' under his breath, but no aura surrounded him, and his arm was still nonexistent.

"What happened?!" he cried, obviously now delving into madness. Matthew stood up slowly, walking away. "You have no power now, right?" he replied, laughing darkly. "So now you can't use any powers you absorbed. You could've used my regeneration ability, but it's too late now – you're powerless. You always relied too much on your absorbed powers, and not on your own powers, and for that, you'll be killed."

Kenji squirmed on the ground a while longer, trying to stop the bleeding and trying to numb the pain in his chest. Matthew's image disappeared, and Kenji started to slip out of consciousness. His chest suddenly erupted in an explosion, burning through his body easily. He screamed out in pain one last time as his heart was burned to cinders.

Kenichi sighed. "Well, it seems that Kenji is dead," he muttered. "At least it means we'll have a private fight of our own, right?" Terri glared at him, a scowl on her face.

"How could you even joke about your ally dying?" she asked, angered. "Sure, he was a psycho and all, but he had a real reason for revenge... you are just a fiend born from misery and despair."

"Names and nothing else, Terri," Kenichi replied, flatly. "Let's continue, shall we?" he said, raising his blade, horizontally. He then placed it to his wrists and slashed them both. "Reign over this world, Solodios!" He placed his blade on his chest and slashed a crucifix onto it, before licking his blade clean.

The wounds glowed pure white, the blood now becoming clear like quartz. His skin bleached a pure white, as did his hair and eyes. His sword dissolved into light, and instead skeletal angel wings grew from his back. The strange thing was, his mask didn't change, still adorning his head with a horn, but it had now melded with his skin. His hollow hole grew, taking up most of his upper torso.

"And this is my purest form, Terri," he said, coldly. "Be glad that you have seen this, as it is the last sight you will see before your demise." Terri stared at his new form with awe, both scared and calmed.

"I shall kill you, Terri," Kenichi spoke. His gaze met hers, and Terri suddenly felt a cold chill overcome her body. She stood still, unable to move. "You see, as a literal God, my gaze allows me to stop my enemy in their tracks until I want to kill them at my own leisure."

Raikou called out to Terri. _'Come on girl, move!'_ she roared. Terri still couldn't. 'I can't, Raikou,' she replied. 'It's like he's fixed me in one place with kido or something.' Raikou growled. _'How about this then?'_ she answered, the blade in Terri's hand sparking wildly.

It suddenly jolted Terri's leg and she fell to her knees in pain, breaking eye contact with Kenichi. 'Thanks,' she whispered to Raikou, who chuckled in reply. _'Just kill him quickly, alright'_ she answered, _'I can't stand him anymore.'_

Kenichi sighed. "Oh well, no big deal," he muttered. Terri looked up for him, but he had disappeared. "I'm here, by the way," he said, making Terri jump. He now stood right behind her, clear blood starting to fall from his eyes.

"My powers aren't that physical, Terri," he continued. "You see, this power allows me to control your mind. These tears of clear blood have seeped into your bloodstream now, and so I now command you, as your God, to kneel before me, girl." Terri couldn't stop herself, and she did as he said, head bowed.

Tsuki was in uproar. _'What are you doing Terri?!'_ she cried. _'He doesn't deserve you kneeling to him, get up!'_ Terri was frozen, she didn't know why, but she couldn't move. Tsuki growled. _'This will aid you child...'_ she soothed.

Suddenly, Raikou's shikai turned swiftly into Tsuki's shikai, the blade becoming white. Water rose up from the blade and seeped into Terri's cuts, in search of the clear blood. Kenichi saw this, and was amused.

"Ah, it seems your zanpakuto spirits have your back..." he stated. "How quaint..." He disappeared again and reappeared to her right. "Well, before your water destroys my mind control, these skeletal wings also double as an execution device..."

His wings spread wide and sliced down swiftly, attacking Terri's back. Suddenly, a large wind picked up and stopped his attack, blowing him back a few feet. He looked at the wind and sighed.

"Kazedoragon... I didn't destroy it..." he muttered. In this time, Terri was now up, and determined not to be taken over again. She raised her sword in confidence. Kenichi looked at her with apathy.

He swiftly moved in front of her and placed his bleeding wrists onto her temples before she could react. As Kenichi started to concentrate on taking over Terri's mind yet again, his focus was broken as a large cloud of brown dust erupted from under him, cutting into and corroding his bone armour.

He yelled in pain and swatted the dust away, looking at Terri curiously. "What is that?" he asked, slightly panicked. Terri smirked for the first time since Kenji had fallen. "That?" she asked. "I'll tell you what that is... Ouja no Fushoku: my best friend's shikai!"

She held out her hand, and Kazedoragon appeared in the air above her. She brandished Doragonsumiyaka, its aura slowly healing her. Ouja no Fushoku sped quickly around her, acting as a shield.

"You see, Kenichi..." Terri started. "Whilst you may have all of that power, and all of those absorbed powers, I have the power and strength of all of my family and friends! My mother's Doragonsumiyaka heals me if I get injured, just like any good mother cares for their child, my father's Kazedoragon is my sword, acting as any father would if their child was in trouble, and Hiroshi's Ouja no Fushoku is my shield, acting as the protector for their friend."

She raised her own blade, which was now unreleased. "And Tsuki to Raikou no Ryu is my inner power, the combined fury of thunder and tranquillity of the moon. And now, something only you have ever seen, I shall try to release my bankai!"

Kenichi was humoured, but didn't show it. "Bankai?" he muttered, "As if you, of all people, could pull one of them out at a time like this!" Terri smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure, you know..." she taunted.

'Let's do it guys...' she said inwardly, both Tsuki and Raikou roaring in response. "Bankai! Tsuki to Raikou no Ryu!" Her sword sparked with electricity and lengthened out even more than usual. A second blade grew next to the other one, the first moving slightly for both to fit on the larger oval-shaped guard. The blue blade sparked whilst the white blade glistened, and Terri's aura seemed to shimmer slightly.

"Now!" she yelled. "Let's see if I can do this right!" She raised Doragonsumiyaka and smirked. "Sumiyaka Tatsumaki!" she exclaimed, rushing in to form the twister around Kenichi, who merely stood his ground inside it. Then, Terri gestured with her hand, the brown dust rushing in to Kenichi.

"Fushoku no Hada!" she yelled, the brown dust gaining mass and revolving around Kenichi quicker. It suddenly closed in, corroding the outer layer of flesh and armour around Kenichi's body.

She then branded her bankai and rushed in herself. Kenichi saw her coming, and for the first time showed a sincere look of fear on his face. He raised his palm and yelled "Celeste Extermino!" he yelled, a large white ball of energy appearing in it. He thrust his palm towards the oncoming Terri, who stabbed her bankai forward.

"Raiu no Shirotsuki!" she yelled, thrusting her sword to meet Kenichi's palm. Her blades' energies mixed together, lightning electrifying the water, and it shot forward, the cyclone of water now statically charged.

As it met Kenichi's attack, it resulted in a large explosion that shattered the foundations of the blank dimension, its white walls falling to the desert of Hueco Mundo. Terri and Kenichi were engulfed in a pure white light, neither of them giving up.

* * *

Before her lay a broken and defeated Kenichi, his armour and flesh mostly stripped away. His breathing started to become lighter and lighter, until it finally stopped, silently, as if nothing.

She sighed and fell back onto her back. She was wounded badly too, his final attack having burned into her abdomen, removing a fair portion of it. She quickly sat up, however, as Kenichi glowed with energy, and it dissipated, shooting all over Hueco Mundo, as Kenichi himself slowly faded into nothing.

She looked at the energies streaking across the sky, then down at the now-broken Ouja no Fushoku. 'Hiroshi...' she thought. 'Even when you're gone, you still come to my rescue... I can't believe that, if you cared that much, I never told you that I..."

She was interrupted as Kiyomi came limping up to her, a look of relief across her face. "Terri..." she stammered, grabbing her and hugging her close. "I thought everything was over, but you did it... I always believed in you..."

Terri smiled, then looked up at the sky. "So, are those energies everyone's that Kenji ever put into a coma?" she asked. Kiyomi nodded. "Yes, and with that bankai of his, that would mean everything in Hueco Mundo," she replied, "Which would also mean that your tutors would be back on their feet too..."

Terri smiled. "Thank Go..." she stopped. "Actually, I'm not going to use that expression for a while..." Kiyomi looked at her strangely, but Terri nodded. "I'll fill in the necessary documents, Head-Captain, just like you were going to say!" she laughed.

* * *

_And so Kenji has been defeated, and Kenichi has been destroyed. It looks like it's finally over. Of course, there'll most definitely be something else to stand up to the Gotei, but that won't fall under this title. I hope that my first fic has been successful, even slightly, because that's a win for me. Also, thanks for the regular surge of views every Saturday, much appreciated._

_**Next chapter:** An 'Epilogue'. Clearing up loose ends. The whole story has to be given to the Gotei, then reported in to Central. With Kenji and Kenichi gone, their victims come back. Relaxation. The mourning of a lost friend. Catch it, early next week._


	38. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Terri placed the broken blade of Ouja no Fushoku down at the foot of the tree, the sun starting to rise on the new day. She was on a hill just outside of the seireitei, the tree the only form standing on it, being a magnificent sight in the red sun.

Standing against the tree was a picture, framed. Terri picked it up and looked at it closely, tears welling up in her eyes. "Even after you pass on, you still save me, Hiroshi..." she whispered. "And Ouja no Fushoku too..." she added, looking sympathetically down at the broken blade.

She then placed the picture back and kneeled down, in prayer. 'Let him find peace now,' she pleaded. "Now that he's not around me, he deserves all the peace he can get." She turned around swiftly as she heard a light laugh behind her.

"I'm sure he doesn't think that, you know," Kiyomi said, walking up to her, placing her hand on Terri's shoulder. "I'm sure he enjoyed every second that he spent with you. I mean, that's who he gave his life to protect right? You..."

Terri quickly raised her hand to her eyes as she started to cry again, then wiped away her tears. "We can still make sure Ouja no Fushoku can be fixed, right?" she asked, Kiyomi looking at her, surprised.

"Of course we can," she smiled back. "Squad 3 have a mandatory skill for metalwork, ever since Raven became captain, and some of the best metalworkers in Soul Society reside there." Terri's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Head-Captain Seiryoku!" she smiled. "I would like Hiroshi's zanpakuto to stand proudly, showcasing to everyone how courageous and brave he was." Kiyomi laughed softly. "I understand, and I will make it happen," she answered. "But, we have a meeting to get to, alright?" she added, Terri looking at her and nodding, regretfully.

She walked forward and lightly brushed some dew from the picture, smiling as she saw Hiroshi's face again. "I'll see you later, alright?" she whispered, before running off, following Kiyomi to Squad 1.

* * *

Kenpachi gently laid the body of Maya down onto a bed in Squad 4, Retsu overlooking. "What happened to her, Kenpachi?" she asked, curious. Kenpachi sighed.

"Something about 'overloading systems' or something, I don't know..." he trailed off, leaving swiftly. Retsu stopped him, however, wanting a few more answers. "Alright then, how about, why did you even bring her here in the first place?" she asked again. "I'm sure you realise what would have happened if she was lying?"

Kenpachi groaned. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "We'd all be jumped and all suffer a painful death, I get it." He then looked back at Maya, her paralysed face full of fear. "But she just seems so... I don't know... innocent," he added. "I don't think she was truly evil, really, just confused. And to be honest, I know where she's coming from."

As he was about to leave, Retsu silently laughed to herself. "Well, there's something I didn't expect..." she mused. "Kenpachi has a heart after all..."

* * *

Izuru, Rangiku, Shuhei, Zeo and Renji sat around a table, passing sake to one another, and taking drinks between intervals of slurred words. Zeo finished another drink and slammed it onto the table, smirking.

"And I think that proves I can take my fair share!" he said, proudly. Izuru looked at him for a bit, then took his own drink, also slamming it down onto the table. "And I think that proves I'm one ahead again!" he answered.

Shuhei sighed. "Why are they always like this?" he asked no-one in particular. Rangiku laughed. "I don't know..." she started, "I think they're both kind of cute when they're like this!" she beamed.

Shuhei yet again sighed. "Or maybe it's just that you're the exact same way..." Rangiku immediately pouted. "Aw, come on!" she moaned. "Drinking's a fun hobby, not something to be a bore about."

She grabbed a drink from the table and brought it to Shuhei's lips, trying to force it down his throat. "Come on, lighten up!" she smiled, as Shuhei struggled. Suddenly, a knock rapped at the door, and Naomi slowly walked in. She sighed as she saw Zeo.

"Zeo!" she snapped. "I told you I'd be here in 3 minutes, and you're already drunk?" She sighed. "You're such a lightweight..." She then sat down next to him and took a drink for herself.

"Alright then, cheers!" she smiled, downing it in one. Rangiku smiled. "See, Shuhei?" she said out loud. "There's someone who knows how to party!" She then turned to Naomi, a look of understanding on her face. "Also, Nai, I know what you mean. Izuru is a bit of a lightweight too..."

Naomi smiled, almost laughing. "Yeah, that's coming from _the_ lightweight!" Before Rangiku could react, however, Raven came bursting through the door, closely followed by Crystal.

He sighed. "Has it occurred to any of you, Zeo not included, that a joint captain's and lieutenant's meeting will start in roughly 10 minutes?" he asked, annoyed. "And here I find all five of you drinking like there's no tomorrow!" He turned to leave, still irritated.

"Just make sure you don't embarrass yourselves at the meeting, alright?" he added. "I don't want to explain to your captains why you're like this. Byakuya and Toshiro aren't the understanding type when it comes to this."

Rangiku and Renji brushed the last comment off as he left, Crystal following him, sighing to herself.

* * *

In Hueco Mundo, since Kenji and Kenichi had been defeated, the castle had become quite unstable, the rocks now not held together by their immense spiritual pressures. In the middle of the now-crumbling throne room, the large stone coffin started to shake.

In one swift wave of energy, it shattered, making the castle's foundations start to rumble also. Out of the dust-cloud stepped a beaten and battered Matthew, carrying an arm in his only hand. He scowled.

"What's this, some type of joke?" he spat. "Kenji cuts off my arm and buries me with it? And because he stole my powers, I couldn't regenerate..." He then looked around the throne room, noticing it was crumbling.

"So, it looks like Tosigo Ocho worked like a charm, since it looks like Kenji was defeated..." he the trailed off. "Damn..." he muttered. "Kenji was defeated... And that means that everyone else is..." His claw clenched, as his other arm started to sprout from the gaping wound. "I've lost everyone... again..." he realised.

"Maya, Ryo, Eiji, Kotomi, Sakura, Kaede and Rei," he listed, remembering them. "All now dead..." He started to walk out of the main doors, now melancholy. He stepped onto the sand and started to walk away from the now-collapsing ruin.

"Well, I'll just have to work alone from now on..." he said to himself, dropping his severed arm and raising his only claw towards the castle. "Gran rey cero!" he yelled, a large ball of blue energy gathering and firing from his palm.

It connected with the castle, exploding in a flash of blue and white. He started walking away, scowling. "No more!" he yelled. "I won't attach myself to anyone anymore. That way, I won't lose anyone! I won't even relate myself to those damn soul reapers either! They're nothing but scum! All they've brought me is despair!"

He swiftly used sonido, disappearing into the night of Hueco Mundo, a storm brewing where he had just stood.

* * *

"And for our final point in this meeting..." Kiyomi spoke, "the situation with Kenji. I know that you are all wondering how we got through it, most of us being incapacitated at the time, and so I had Ms. Zakura document it for us, which I have now pieced together with all other documentations."

Everyone looked interested, suddenly. The captains were lined up by squad number on the left side of the room, and their respective lieutenants faced them on the right. Chojiro stood at Kiyomi's left and Terri at her right.

She cleared her throat. "It seems that after Zeo had the garganta open for us and we entered, the arrancar Ryo Sakai, Primera Caballero of Kenji's army, randomised our exit points, allowing for our other enemies to expect us, whilst we didn't expect them."

"Captain Kurotsuchi was able to dispatch Kiseki Kiryu, the Cuarto Caballero, when they met, but Captains Komamura and Hitsugaya were defeated by an unexpectedly powerful Genma Fujima, the Segunda Caballero."

"After leaving them for Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Kotetsu to deal with, he then jumped into Captain Soifon's battle with Yukari Nosaka, the Tercio Caballero, and killed the arrancar on the spot, after which, Captain Kuchiki's battle with Sakai was interrupted as Sakai killed Fujima in a fit of rage. Subsequently, Sakai was then killed swiftly by Captain Kuchiki, after pleading him to do so."

"All this time, I believe our lieutenants were slowly making their way to aid us, but were stopped three times by the pseudo-fraccion of these arrancar: Yuki Oikawa, Ai Yoshida and Yusuke Kumo. Yoshida appears to have revived Kiryu, am I correct in assuming?" she asked, Rukia nodding gravely.

"Well, during this battle, a squad of soul reapers, including Captain Ukitake, were let through a garganta by Lieutenant Kotetsu, fighting back these fraccion, and subsequently killing them."

"During this, Captains Ruhodesu and Kyoraku were in battle with Kaede and Rei Yokoshima, the visoreds, and killed them in Kenji's 'castle'. Captain Zaraki also encountered the mod soul Maya here, battling to a draw when she overloaded herself on power."

"And finally," she said, new enthusiasm in her voice, "during mine and Ms. Zakura's battle with Kenji, he eventually released his bankai, which put everyone in Hueco Mundo into a coma, absorbing their power, except for Ms. Zakura, who had been cut by his sword on release, exempting her from the effect."

"In a show of bravery and strength only shown by the prodigies of the seireitei, she battled ferociously, even when Kenji's hollow became an arrancar in its own right. This arrancar then went on to kill Kenji, in an act of betrayal, and achieve a powerful resurrection. I believe that through her training with the Gotei 13's best, Ms. Zakura learned how to achieve bankai and finally end this arrancar's reign of terror forever."

"And for that..." she trailed off, "I want to give you an immediate ranking in Squad 8. Is that alright Lieutenant Ise?" she asked Nanao, who was surprised, but bowed enthusiastically. "Yes, Head-Captain," she replied. "It is completely fine. In fact, she's welcome."

Kiyomi then looked back at Terri, who was staring at her in shock. "What?" Terri asked. "A ranked seat in Squad 8?" she finally added. Kiyomi nodded. "Yes, I believe that your natural talent and skill paired with Nanao's experience and expertise will make a perfect replacement for a captain in Squad 8." She smiled as she said her next sentence. "Terri Erika Zakura, I promote you to 3rd Seat of Squad 8."

Terri bowed quickly. "Um, thank you, Head-Captain Seiryoku!" she said finally, still taken aback. Kiyomi turned back to everyone else and sighed in relief. "And now that we all know what happened to him, I think we can now rest peacefully knowing that Kenji will never grace us with his presence ever again, correct?"

She was answered with nods and admissions of agreement around the room. "Good," she added. "Now, the meeting is dismissed. Get back to your squads, if you will, as you all know well, our job as the Gotei 13 is never done."

"And also, Nanao, please take Ms. Zakura to her new room, if you will. I believe ranked accommodation in Squad 8 is much better than guest accommodation in Squad 1, so she will need to get used to it and feel at home."

Nanao nodded and guided Terri away, until they were nearly out of the door. Terri turned around and bowed low. "Thank you so much, Head-Captain Seiryoku!" she said. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me, especially after everything that's happened."

She then turned and left with Nanao, as Kiyomi, surprised at her outburst of gratitude, smiled inwardly, now much calmer. 'It seems that I was wrong, Yamamoto, I think I'm ready to take over from you now...' she mused, breathing a long sigh of relief.

* * *

_And that's really the end of this fic. All is good in the seireitei, although I'm not that good at writing "happy endings". Please, review and tell me how I did at this fic or how I could do better, if you have the time, but only constructive criticism is taken well..._


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